For Lily
by White Gray
Summary: An alternative ending to Deathly Hallows. What if Snape became the Elder Wand's master? Voldemort gives Snape one more hour to find Potter before setting his pet snake Nagini on him.
1. Chapter 1: ONE HOUR

Disclaimer: Text in_ italics _is taken from HP & The Deathly Hallows and is property of JK Rowling. I am merely borrowing it as a reference.

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><p>ONE HOUR<p>

_"I have thought long and hard, Severus... Do you know why I have called you back from the battle?" _

_And for a moment Harry saw Snape's profile: His eyes were fixed upon the coiling snake in its enchanted cage. _

"_No, my Lord, but I beg you will let me return. Let me find Potter." _

"_You sound like Lucius. Neither of you understands Potter as I do. He does not need finding. Potter will come to me. I know his weakness, you see, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will want to stop it at any cost. He will come." _

"_But my Lord, he might be killed accidentally by one other than yourself —" _

"_My instructions to my Death Eaters have been perfectly clear. Capture Potter. Kill his friends — the more, the better — but do not kill him. _

"_But it is of you that I wished to speak, Severus, not Harry Potter. You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable." _

"_My Lord knows I seek only to serve him. But — let me go and find the boy, my Lord. Let me bring him to you. I know I can —" _

"_I have told you – " said Voldemort, and Harry caught the glint of red in his eyes as he turned again, and the swishing of his cloak was like the slithering of a snake, and he felt Voldemort's impatience in his burning scar._

But suddenly Voldemort's face split in a gruesome smile and Harry felt a different feeling emanating from him, something that resembled... sick amusement.

"Alright, Severus," said Voldemort in a soft cold voice. "You have proven yourself as my most faithful servant, thus I shall grant you this honour. Go and seek the boy. You have one hour. Then come to me, with or without him."

Voldemort swept from the room without a backward glance and the great serpent floated after him in its huge protective sphere.

Harry heard the man who stayed behind heave a sigh of relief, and found it strange, but before he could put any more thought into it he heard a faint pop and Snape Disapparated, looking for him to bring him to his master.

"What do we do now?" Ron whispered from behind him.

"I don't know..." Harry whispered back, despair slowly creeping upon him. He had a nasty feeling that everything they did would be in vain.

"Try to find out where he went again," Hermione suggested.

Before Harry could close his eyes to dive into Voldemort's mind once more, a high, cold voice spoke so close to them that he almost jumped to his feet and bumped his head against the ceiling of the narrow tunnel, thinking that Voldemort had found their hiding place.

_Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and Harry realized that he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a deathblow away. _

"_You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. _

"_Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. _

"_Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately._

"_You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. _

"_I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour." _

_Both Ron and Hermione shook their heads frantically, looking at Harry. _

"_Don't listen to him," said Ron. _

"_It'll be all right," said Hermione wildly. "Let's — let's get back to the castle, if he's gone to the forest we'll need to think of a new plan —" _

They crawled back through the tunnel, none of them talking, and Harry wondered whether Ron and Hermione could still hear Voldemort ringing in their heads, as he could.

_You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest... One hour..._

"Harry, put your cloak back on," Hermione whispered when they emerged at the Whomping Willow. "You need to be careful. Snape is looking for you."

He did as he was told and slowly they trudged back to the front door, Ron and Hermione looking nervously around them in case Snape emerged out of nowhere and demanded to reveal Harry's whereabouts.

_sss_

_He turned away and ran up the marble staircase. Lupin, Tonks . . . He yearned not to feel. . . . He wished he could rip out his heart, his innards, everything that was screaming inside him. . . . The castle was completely empty; even the ghosts seemed to have joined the mass mourning in the Great Hall. _

Harry ran without stopping, his cloak of invisibility slipping off his shoulders carelessly, and he did not slow down until he reached the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office.

"Password?" the gargoyle asked Harry's head floating in front of it, the rest of the body hidden under the cloak.

"Dumbledore!" said Harry without thinking, because it was he whom he yearned to see, and to his surprise the gargoyle slid aside, revealing the spiral staircase behind.

But when Harry burst into the circular office a dazzling jet of bright red light hit him, knocking him backwards, and his wand flew out of his hands into the hands of a man he hated perhaps even more than he hated Voldemort himself.


	2. Chapter 2: KILL THE SNAKE

_Apparently this story sparked up a lot of interest, so here's an early update for you._

_Enjoy._

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><p>KILL THE SNAKE<p>

Snape Apparated directly into the Headmaster's office. He had only one hour to find the boy and deliver him to the Dark Lord. He found himself all alone. The portraits hanging around the walls were all empty. Not a single headmaster or headmistress remained. They had scurried away apparently, charging through the paintings that lined the castle, so that they could have a clear view of what was happening in the battle. So much for his plan of sending his only allies around the castle to patrol for Potter. Fine. So he would have to send his doe Patronus to find him. Potter would trust it and follow it, of that he was sure.

He glanced at Dumbledore's deserted frame, which hung directly behind the Headmaster's chair – his chair for the past year. He brushed his palm across the desk, just to stall a little. He had one whole hour at his disposal, had he not?

He swung the empty portrait aside and revealed the cavity which contained all his most prized possessions. He took Lily's picture and letter, and lingered on her smile. He didn't know how long he stared at it, but he eventually folded both pieces and carefully hid them deep inside his robes. Whatever he would do, it will be with her name, her _love_, and her smile close to his heart. He needed something to give him the courage.

This was it. It all culminated to this moment.

_For Lily._

The thought stung him deeply in his chest. Because it wasn't for Lily he was doing all this. It was for the greater good. Had it been for Lily, he would have gone looking for the boy only to hide him somewhere no one could find him and let him live until the brat was sick of living.

He took a deep breath and withdrew his wand to call upon Lily's memory one last time, but before he could utter a single word he heard his name being called somewhere from the walls and Dumbledore appeared striding through empty portraits until he reached his own frame slightly short-winded.

"Severus! Thank god you're here! You have the perfect opportunity right now. Harry is on his way up here," Dumbledore informed him.

Severus nodded, his stone-pale face holding no emotion. He turned around towards the door to face Potter when he came through it.

"You must tell him everything," said Dumbledore softly. "He won't believe you otherwise."

Snape turned around, this time a murderous glance stretched over his eyes.

"No," he said mutinously. "I will take him to the Dark Lord, he'll finish him off, and neither of them will ever know that the boy was holding a piece of _His_ soul inside him all along."

"What makes you think Harry doesn't know that already?" said Dumbledore quietly. "No, Severus, you have to tell Harry," he said urgently, a firm note in his voice. "He needs to know the whole truth and it is essential that he goes there on his own."

"Why? To torment the boy even further?" Snape spat, his face distorted in an ugly grimace.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Of course not, and I regret Harry has to do it, but it is the only way. You don't want Harry to die in vain, do you?" he said quietly.

Severus' eyes became livid with fury.

"_I_ don't want him to die at all!" he snapped at the former headmaster. "I wasn't the one who had been preparing him for slaughter since the very beginning! Ever since Lily died I have been protecting him for her! And now – now I – _I _must be the one to –" Snape's voice broke for the first time, and his eyes glimmered strangely, but he took a deep breath and steadied himself quickly.

"If Harry sacrifices himself to save his friends, they will all be protected from Voldemort. His sacrifice will protect them, just like Lily's sacrifice protected Harry. Voldemort won't be able to hurt them, and you will have a perfect opportunity to finish him off," Dumbledore explained gently.

Snape stared at the Headmaster and slowly gave a curt nod. Yes, of course, it was all for the greater good, no matter how much a select few had to sacrifice and suffer for the cause.

"Severus, be very careful," said Dumbledore quietly. "I am counting on you. You will have a perfect position to finish Voldemort after it is done. But if the opportunity presents itself, you must kill the snake first, do you understand?"

Snape narrowed his brows. "Kill Nagini, too?"

Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Yes. Kill Nagini _before_ you try anything against her master."

"The snake has a portion of His soul, too, hasn't she?" Snape murmured darkly in comprehension.

"Yes," said Dumbledore curtly. "We have to finish our conversation now, though. I believe Harry just reached the gargoyle."

Snape faced the door again, his wand ready. His eyes were so blank and empty that if he hadn't been standing straight, his nostrils flaring angrily, no one could have guessed he was alive. He was wondering himself how could he still be there in his body, because he felt nothing at all, not even the beating of his own heart.

He stood there, still as a statue, hearing Potter's hurried steps echoing behind the door, which suddenly burst open and the boy's head bobbed into view, the rest of his body probably hidden under his Invisibility Cloak.

Snape didn't let that distract him, and with a simple Expeliarmus he disarmed the careless brat, catching his wand as it flew towards his outstretched hand. How Potter managed to survive this long was beyond him, seeing how poor his reflexes were.

Potter's eyes widened in panic, before sheer anger conquered his features. "You!" he hissed with disgust.

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><p><em>Be so kind to leave a review, they tend to be very inspiring to the authors...<em>


	3. Chapter 3: THE SILVER DOE

_Here you go, next portion straight from the oven!_

_Hope you enjoy it!_

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><p>THE SILVER DOE<p>

_"You!"_

Harry was livid and as scared as he had never been. How could he have been so stupid to wander off directly into Snape's claws when he knew the man was looking for him?

He failed, he failed Dumbledore, he failed his parents, he failed his friends, he failed Fred and Lupin and Tonks and Colin and all those who lay in the Great Hall. At least, he comforted himself, Ron and Hermione knew what to do. They would finish the job without him, wouldn't they? They didn't need him and his stupidity anymore; it only ever landed them into trouble. At least this time he didn't drag anyone else along. Perhaps it was all for the best. This way many lives would be spared. He couldn't stand to see more people die for him.

With a thud the door closed behind him and Harry swallowed hard. Snape just stared at him, his face unreadable, and Harry stared back.

"What are you waiting for?" Harry croaked, looking directly into Snape's fathomless eyes. "You got me. Aren't you supposed to deliver me to your _master_ before one hour is up?"

"Sit," Snape hissed, barely moving his lips. Harry didn't move a muscle. Why did Snape want him to sit? Wouldn't he want to deliver him into Volmedort's hands as soon as possible?

Oh... Right. Of course, Snape probably wanted to have a bit of fun himself. Voldemort never said his Death Eaters couldn't _harm_ Harry. Snape obviously wanted some revenge.

"Decided you wanted to play with me for a while? Bellatrix's habits must be contagious. But who knows? Maybe she got it from you," said Harry bitterly.

"Be quiet," Snape rebuffed him. "You don't know what you're talking about. Now, sit down."

"I'd rather stand," Harry said defiantly.

"Suit yourself," Snape grumbled and sat into the headmaster's chair.

"How dare you sit –" Harry spat, and his hands balled into tight fists, but before he could muster more venom to throw at the hated man, he noticed that the portrait, in front of which Snape stood the whole time, obscuring it with his voluminous robes, was not empty. Dumbledore regarded him with a sad twinkle in his eyes, and Harry's heart sank. He was so overwhelmed by his feelings that he barely perceived what Dumbledore was saying to him.

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently and smiled feebly. "Please, sit down. There is something you need to know."

"I'm sorry I failed you," Harry whispered, his eyes fixed on the late Headmaster's painting, wanting to completely forget Snape was in the room, too.

Dumbledore smiled again. "You didn't fail, you did wonderfully. All you need to do now is listen to what Severus has to say to you."

"I'm not listening to anything this traitorous murderer has to say!" Harry spat venomously.

Snape didn't even twitch at Harry's insults. He sat there, pale and still as a statue, both his and Harry's wand lying leisurely on the desk between his palms. Harry found it strange, but it was even stranger what Dumbledore said next.

"Severus never betrayed me, Harry," Dumbledore said softly.

Harry blinked in confusion. He couldn't have heard that right. His mind was surely playing tricks on him. He looked from Dumbledore to Snape and back again.

"What are you playing at?" he spat at Snape, rage bubbling inside him again. There could be only one explanation for this, he was sure. "You Confunded Dumbledore's portrait!"

"I assure you Harry, I am not Confunded," Dumbledore said calmly.

"But – he – he KILLED YOU!" Harry bellowed. "I SAW IT! I WAS THERE!"

"Yes Potter, I killed him!" Snape suddenly snapped. "I killed him because Dumbledore asked me to kill him! I killed him because I made an Unbreakable Vow! I killed him, because the old man was going to die anyhow! I killed him under his orders!"

Harry was left speechless, gawking at the dark man.

"You're lying," was all Harry could retort.

"Sit down, Potter, and listen!" Snape demanded, but Harry didn't move. "We haven't got all day! Will you just sit down!" he snapped impatiently again, and glared at him, but Harry still didn't move. Snape pressed his lips together, and grabbed his wand. Harry staggered backwards, thinking the man would surely attack him or at least force him to sit down, but he didn't expect to hear the next two words.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silver doe burst out of Snape's wand and landed silently on the floor in front of Harry's stunned eyes.

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><p><em>Please leave a review, and tell me, how far do you want this to go? Where would you like this to go? What will happen to Snape? Voldemort obviously still plans on killing him – will he succeed this time? <em>


	4. Chapter 4: IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CLEARING

_The following chapters should be longer than the first three. The first chapter is an introduction anyhow, and the second and third were supposed to be one chapter, but I posted the first half as a sneak-peak... _

_Some parts of the conversation between Voldemort and Snape are taken from HP & Deathly Hallows, and are only altered slightly. I used them only as a reference._

_Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy this! I for one am really pleased to see how this piece turned out!_

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><p>IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CLEARING<p>

_"Expecto Patronum!"_

Snape basked in the light of his doe Patronus, and in the memory from which it was produced. The boy gazed at the doe and slowly reached out to touch it. Something snapped in Snape when he saw what the boy was trying to do. No, he would not allow it. This little piece of Lily was his only, and he would not share it, not even with her son. He flicked his wand, the light was gone, and he felt empty again.

The boy stared wide-eyed at the spot where the doe stood a moment ago, and then slowly lifted his green eyes.

"Who are you?," he whispered. "You are not Snape, you couldn't possibly be him!"

Of course. The stupid brat now assumed he was god knows who in disguise, because he simply couldn't put two and two together. Did he really have to tell him everything word by word?

"Sit down," Snape said curtly again and this time Potter miraculously obeyed. Now he had to prove his identity to the boy, and he had just the right thing on his mind.

"Our first Occlumency lesson. I asked you who the dog belonged to. You told me your Aunt Marge."

Potter stared at him dumbstruck.

"You were the one who sent me the sword?" Potter whispered in disbelief, as if he barely believed those words were coming out of his mouth.

"Obviously," Snape retorted.

Potter narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because Dumbledore ordered me to. He didn't tell me why, but he told me you needed it," Snape told him.

Potter didn't say anything; he just stared at him, the wheels in his brains clearly rotating wildly. Snape could almost hear the boy's inner struggle.

"I don't believe you!" Potter finally uttered and jumped to his feet. "You're just trying to trick me, you two-faced bastard! It's not going to work like it did on Dumbledore!"

Snape sighed and murmured, "You always had a thick skull."

Potter glared angrily at him, his lips pressed together in a thin line, but he did not retort.

"Severus, you need to show him," Dumbledore said from the portrait behind him. "You need to give him a reason to trust you. Show him your memories. It will be quicker and easier. For both of you," he added softly.

Potter looked wildly from the portrait and back to Snape again, clearly confused. Snape closed his eyes briefly, and then slowly he nodded. Dumbledore was right. He couldn't stand to look at the boy, while telling him he had been protecting him for Lily all along, and sending him to meet his end in the same breath. He wasn't even sure he could say her name in front of him. He stood up, feeling as if he was carrying an enormous burden on his shoulders. Potter flinched slightly as he rounded the desk, and followed him with his eyes uncertainly. At least he didn't jump at him and tackle him to the floor. Snape could tell Potter was confused and curious.

The stone Pensieve lay in the dark cabinet by the door where it had always been. Snape heaved it onto the desk and pulled his memories, all he could think of, into the wide basin. Now was not the time to hide anything from the boy. It was time for the whole truth. Otherwise Potter would not believe that Snape was truly conveying him Dumbledore's message.

"Have a look, you have my permission. It's all in there, all you need to know, perhaps even some things you don't..." he said to the boy, his voice calm and collected, revealing not a hint of emotion. "I won't force you into anything. It has to be your choice," Snape added quietly, deposited the boy's wand onto the desk and waited. Potter stared at the wand, his eyes wide, but didn't touch it.

The memories swirled restlessly on the desk between them, silvery-blue and mysterious, and without hesitating, wanting to know the truth, Harry dived.

Snape did not linger. He did not want to face the boy when he emerged from his memories. He could not bear to look him in the eyes.

He Apparated, but not into the Forbidden Forest to his Master. No, he had to wait and appear at the last minute, pretending he didn't manage to find the boy. Perhaps Potter would already be dead by then. He was convinced the boy would show up. Oh yes, the boy had it in him, that urge to save others without thinking about his own safety, that which the Dark Lord called his greatest weakness. He would sacrifice himself. He was Lily's son after all.

So Severus Apparated to the top of the Astronomy Tower. He felt immensely tired, but he couldn't rest, not yet. He only had about twenty minutes or so to stop for a while, to gather his strength, to take a deep breath, to build up his impenetrable shield, to remember what he had done less than a year ago atop this very tower, and why he had done it.

It was dark and quiet. Everything was so still. But it was not peaceful. It was a deadly tranquillity. Hogwarts – his Hogwarts, his home, as he knew it, and as it had been entrusted into his hands, was destroyed. He could see the faint outlines of the many turrets pointing up into the dark star-less sky half demolished. A cold iron fist clenched around his heart.

He looked up. It must have been nearly dawn, but the sky was pitch-black, as if it was covered in a heavy dark mourning veil. Just a little more... In a little while it would all end.

Time was a funny thing. How fast it went by when you wanted it to stop! One hour was up, and so Snape closed his eyes and let the Dark Mark branded on his forearm take him to his Master.

He Apparated to a clearing deep inside the Forbidden Forest. A few of the Death Eaters pointed their wands at the newcomer, but they soon recognized his features in the glow of the small fire in the middle of the clearing. He didn't pay any attention to them as they murmured into their beards when he passed them.

The Dark Lord was standing by the fire, the Elder Wand rolling around in his bony fingers.

"Ah, Severus, apparently you haven't managed to procure the boy for me after all," he said mockingly as Snape approached him. A few of the Death Eaters cackled under their breaths.

"No, my Lord," he said, bowing low. So apparently the boy hadn't come yet.

"Shame, you seemed so convinced," the Dark Lord said, his voice high and clear.

"I was wrong. I beg your forgiveness," Snape said in a humble voice.

The Dark Lord smiled slyly as if he found something particularly amusing, but did not respond. Instead he beckoned him closer.

"Do not worry. I am certain he will come any moment now. My concern at the moment, Severus, is what will happen when I finally face the boy!"

Strangely, the Dark Lord sounded excited, as if he was about to open his biggest birthday present. Snape approached him cautiously, his eyes fixed on the snake. There was still no chance of getting to it; it was in its enchanted sanctuary.

"My Lord, there can be no question, surely —?"

"— oh, but there is a question, Severus. Tell me, what do you think, why did both the wands I have used fail when I directed them at Harry Potter?"

Snape did not expect that question.

"I — I do not know the answer to that, my Lord."

"You do not know? My wand of yew did everything I asked of it, except to kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed. Ollivander told me of the twin cores, and advised me to take another's wand. I took it from Lucius, but his wand shattered upon meeting Potter's."

Snape was not looking at the Dark Lord. His dark eyes were fixed upon the coiling serpent in its protective sphere, and he was pondering how and when he should react, paying little attention to what his Master was telling him.

"I sought a third wand, the wand from the legends. The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick. I took it from its previous master, Severus. I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore_." _

And now Snape looked at his Master, forcing every muscle on his face to remain still.

"My Lord—" he whispered, dreading a muscle in his cheek might twitch as terror crept up his spine, for he had a very nasty feeling he knew where this was going. Years of practice did not fail him even now as he looked straight into Dark Lord's eyes. He didn't need the Death Eater mask – his own face was the real mask.

"All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have been wondering," said the Dark Lord, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "wondering, why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner... and I think I have found the answer."

Snape did not speak. He listened to his Master as if he was in an odd trance.

"Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen."

Snape did not speak still and he could not move. Realization hit him, but strangely, he accepted it peacefully as soon as it crossed his mind.

"The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore, Severus. While you live, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine."

The words that confirmed his fate sounded strange, like they were coming from far away, but Severus understood them perfectly. Every eye on the clearing was now fixed upon them, and nobody dared even to breathe too loudly.

"I intended to kill you when I sent Lucius for you. But Lord Voldemort is merciful, Severus, and I do not forget loyalty. You have been loyal and useful to me, thus I granted you one more hour of life. It is a shame you did not manage to bring me Potter. I intended to honour you by bringing me the very reason why I must kill you. You should feel honoured still, Severus. There is no greater honour than sacrificing yourself for your Master. I regret it, my faithful servant, but there cannot be any other way," said the Dark Lord, his high clear voice holding not a hint of remorse. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."

Severus did not protest, did not lift his wand. He knew it was the only way. The Dark Lord would cast the Killing Curse at the boy only when he was sure he had full possession of the Elder Wand. It must be done. The boy had to die, and Severus had to lay down his own life first to enable that. It was only fair, and he even welcomed it. Someone else would have to kill the snake and finish the Dark Lord instead of him.

And the Dark Lord swung at the air with the Elder Wand. It did nothing to Severus, and for a split second he thought wildly that perhaps he had been reprieved, that it was just one of the Dark Lord's sick games, his punishment for not showing up with Potter: But then the Dark Lord's face grimaced into a gruesome grin of enjoyment and expectation, and his intention became clear. Tiny gasps and scared gulps were heard among the crowd of gathered Death Eaters when they realized what their Master was about to do. The snake's cage was rolling through the air towards him.

Severus sank to his knees.

_Oh gods no, please, not the snake..._

He could not watch it. He closed his eyes, squeezed his eyelids wildly, expecting to feel Nagini's cold scales and sharp fangs upon his skin any time now. His hair stood on end and a cold shiver engulfed him. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest. Yes, he still had a heart, he realized suddenly, and it wanted to live, wanted to jump up and beat with every last breath his lungs could get, wanted to ache, wanted to love _her _with every drop of blood he possessed. He started shaking slightly, and he realized his forehead was covered in tiny droplets of cold sweat. Treacherous body! But he didn't want to beg for mercy. No, he _refused_ to beg for mercy. He deserved it, after all, and he would take it without complaints. He thought of Lily's smile, her photo folded inside his robes, close to his heart, and he felt relieved.

He still had the hope that he would see her again.

Any second now...

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><p><em>So here we are! Do you want me to kill him and let Voldemort have the Elder Wand, or... Well, you tell me in your review!<em>

_Thanks to all who added this story to their Story Alert and Favourite Stories list! Don't be afraid to leave a review, even if it's just to say hi! They make my day, you know..._


	5. Chapter 5: THE ELDER WAND'S MASTER

_I really like writing this, and I hope you like reading it! So here is the next chapter!_

_Find out if Snape lives or not!_

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><p><em><em>THE ELDER WAND'S MASTER

Harry followed Yaxley and Dolohov into the heart of the forest, his mother and father, Sirius and Lupin faithfully at his side. Soon there was light ahead among the ancient trees and they stepped out into a clearing. Harry immediately recognized the place as Aragog's den; the remnants of his vast web were still there.

Yaxley and Dolohov stopped dead in their tracks, and so did Harry behind them. Only now did he notice that the clearing was unusually quiet, and that every pair of eyes, each cruel face, whether it was masked and hooded or not, was observing the scene in the middle, lit by a flickering fire.

At first Harry couldn't see what was going on, but he could hear Voldemort's clear voice. He was speaking quietly, and at first he couldn't make out words, because his heart was beating so loudly in his chest; it seemed as if it was trying to escape its fate.

Harry stepped closer to Yaxley and Dolohov, and between their broad shoulders he saw that Voldemort was speaking to Snape right by the fire in the middle of the clearing. Harry thought little of it and intended to reveal his presence any second now to let Voldemort end his life. He wanted it to end soon. He looked right and saw his mother smile at him, and on his left his father nodded encouragingly. But then he caught Voldemort's words.

"...a shame you did not manage to bring me Potter. I intended to honour you by bringing me the very reason why I must kill you. You should feel honoured still, Severus. There is no greater honour than sacrificing yourself for your Master."

Harry's ears twitched with alarm, but he couldn't clearly grasp the meaning of Voldemort's words right away.

"I regret it, my faithful servant, but there cannot be any other way," said Voldemort coldly. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."

Before Harry even had time to flinch, Voldemort swung at the air with the Elder Wand.

Nothing happened, and Harry thought at first that he had heard it wrong. But then Voldemort's intentions became clear, and a cold shiver ran down Harry's spine as realization hit him. Voldemort was trying to kill Snape and he was sending Nagini to do the job. Snape sank to his knees obediently, and Harry couldn't understand why. Why wasn't the man fighting for his life? Harry had to do something fast, but he didn't know what, and his hands started shaking, because he realized if he defended Snape too openly, he would reveal his true allegiance and Voldemort would kill the man for sure. So he hastily pulled his Invisibility Cloak off his shoulders, stuffed it under his robes, pushed his way between Yaxley and Dolohov, who staggered back in surprise, and called out as loudly as he could, "Voldemort!"

Nagini's cage stopped in mid-air, barely an inch from Snape's head. The snake lashed impatiently at its out-of-reach target, but the cage didn't budge. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He clutched at the Resurrection Stone wildly, and his four companions stood beside him, fuelling his heart with courage, making him feel invulnerable.

The silence was split, and uproar flooded the clearing like a torrent. Every single creature jumped to its feet, the giants roared, and the Death Eaters gasped, howled, even laughed.

"HARRY!" a desperate voice yelled and Harry turned. Hagrid was bound to a tree nearby, and he struggled in a futile attempt to break free. "NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT'RE YEH DOIN' – " Hagrid was silenced instantly by one of the Death Eaters.

Voldemort's red eyes found Harry, and he stared as Harry moved toward him, with nothing but the orange fire between them. The clearing fell dead silent again.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said softly. "I am so glad you could join us. You are right on time, too. Excuse me for a minute; I am currently in the middle of something, as you can see." Voldemort gestured at Snape, who was still on his knees, his face paler than Harry had ever seen.

Harry's brains were working hard, thinking what Voldemort had said earlier to Snape, and why he wanted to kill him. It was about mastering the Elder Wand obviously. He understood instantly, as if a Lumos suddenly brightened his mind. Cold shivers splashed over Harry as he realized Dumbledore's plan hadn't worked. Voldemort was convinced Snape had the Elder Wand's allegiance. But Snape could not have obtained it, since Dumbledore's death was arranged between them; he saw that in Snape's memories, and he believed it. No matter what Voldemort would have done to Snape, he could never have obtained the Elder Wand's allegiance. The Elder Wand's powers were supposed to die out, together with its last master, who would never have been truly defeated. That had been Dumbledore's original plan. But something unexpected happened just before Dumbledore's death... Harry suddenly forgot why he had gone there in the first place. It was a relief really, because now he had a mission, a second cause for which to die for, and it made everything much easier. He knew very well who the Elder Wand's true master was now, and if he didn't do something, something inventive, Voldemort would truly possess the Wand and all would be lost.

How could he make Snape understand? The black eyes found the green briefly, and Harry wished wildly there could be a way to enter Snape's mind to make him understand he really was the Elder Wand's master, and tell him to fight, to flee, it didn't matter, as long as Voldemort didn't get what he wanted. He searched his eyes, but the black orbs seemed dead already, there wasn't a single gleam in them, and Harry suddenly comprehended. Harry didn't know whether Snape believed he was truly the Elder Wand's master, but either way he knew Snape didn't care if Voldemort obtained the wand or not. He was only making sure Voldemort would kill Harry, just like Dumbledore instructed it must happen. The only way to enable that was to make Voldemort believe he had finally obtained the tool with which he would be able to do it. Snape was sacrificing himself, just like Harry was.

Voldemort's cold voice broke Harry's line of thought. "You may stand there and watch while I..."

"I'm the Elder Wand's master," Harry interrupted loudly. It just dropped into his head, and it was partially true, he had been the Elder Wand's master. Draco disarmed Dumbledore, and Harry now had Draco's wand, but Snape had defeated Harry only half an hour ago in the headmaster's office. Only the two of them knew that. He had to tell a partial truth, and he was sure Snape would figure out what he was trying to do. He hoped the man would finish Voldemort afterward; he would have the perfect opportunity.

Harry had to look Voldemort straight in the eyes and lie to him. He put his best Occlumency shield up, just like Snape had taught him, but Harry knew well if he hadn't had the Resurrection Stone in his sweaty palm, and his four guardians acting like a shield around his mind, he could not have done it. Only now he understood Snape and what it cost the man to stand in the presence of his master and lie in his face.

The only things that moved now were the flicking flames and the snake, hissing and lashing out impatiently in the glittering cage in front of Snape's marble-white face.

"Harry Potter..." Voldemort hissed. "You, the Elder Wand's master!" Cold laughter shook the clearing.

"Yeah. So if you want it, you'll have to kill me," Harry said defiantly, his chin high, forcing every muscle on his face to remain still.

Voldemort tilted his head to the side, regarding him with an amused grin of his lip-less mouth. "Tell me something. Were you the one to kill Dumbledore perhaps?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Harry said impatiently. "You do realize there are people out there who know more than you, don't you, Tom?"

Voldemort lashed out with his wand which let out a whip-like crack, and something hard hit Harry in the face. The blow was so strong he staggered back, and he could feel the hot pain spreading across his left cheek.

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" Voldemort shrieked.

_"It's alright Harry. You're doing wonderful,"_ his mother encouraged him, and the pain subsides slightly.

_"Son, remind him of the prophecy. Tell him the Elder Wand is the power of which the prophecy speaks about,"_ his father suggested inventively, and Harry thought it a brilliant idea.

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES!" he bellowed as loud as he could. Voldemort flinched and regarded him with his wild red eyes.

"Yeah, Tom. Ever wondered what that _power_ was? The Elder Wand perhaps?" he said boldly.

"It's impossible!" Voldemort hissed but Harry could feel panic emanating from him through his scar. It spurred him to continue with his act.

"You don't need to kill the Wand's previous master to gain its allegiance! Dumbledore never killed Grindelwald. He only defeated him. And somebody else got to Dumbledore before Snape did! I know, I was there the whole time, hidden under my Invisibility Cloak. I saw everything!" Harry told him, and looked him in the eyes. He was speaking the truth anyhow, so he held his gaze defiantly.

"Who?" Voldemort demanded.

"Draco Malfoy."

"NO! Please no..." somebody cried, and Harry realized it was Narcissa Malfoy, soon followed by Lucius himself, who grabbed his wife, whispering something in her ears.

"Be quiet Cissy!" Bellatrix snarled at her sister, and Harry only now noticed the witch was standing close behind Voldemort the whole time.

Voldemort turned his head and smirked at the scene.

"Draco Malfoy... I see..." he whispered softly.

"My Lord," spoke Bellatrix. "He might be speaking the truth. When we got to the Astronomy Tower, Draco had already disarmed Dumbledore..."

"And you are telling me this now?" Voldemort hissed dangerously.

"My Lord..." Bellatrix trembled and knelt down at his feet. "My Lord, I did not think it important..."

"Or were you trying to protect your nephew, perhaps?" he hissed cruelly, his wand ready to strike.

"NO! No, my Lord, never. Had I known, I would have brought him to you myself!"

"Yes, Bellatrix, I know _you _would," Voldemort cackled.

Harry saw the look of pure hatred that Narcissa shot at her sister, and Lucius looked like he could murder her on the spot.

Voldemort turned to Harry now, ignoring the Malfoys. "I want to know how the Wand came into your hands then."

"I'm sure you're aware how I was captured and brought to Malfoy Manor. I got this – " Harry pulled Draco's wand out, "- when I escaped. It's Draco's, I've won it from him. I'm sure his mother can recognize the wand," he said and threw it on the ground in front of Narcissa's feet. She picked it up with trembling hands and nodded, then hid it possessively inside her robes. "It's Draco's," she croaked in confirmation.

"So you see, I overpowered the Elder Wand's last master," said Harry, who now realized that he was standing in front of Voldemort completely defenseless. Just as well, at least he wouldn't be tempted to defend himself. He glanced at Snape, who had been kneeling in front of Nagini's protective orb the whole time, staring at the ground wide-eyed. Harry prayed Snape understood where he was going with this and that he would know what to do.

Voldemort gritted his teeth with rage and glanced at the Wand, rolling it around in his bony fingers, pondering...

"Yeah, I can see your dilemma," Harry taunted him. "You want the Elder Wand so you can kill me with it, but the only way to get it is to kill me," he said, and grinned at Voldemort's shocked face. But then Voldemort's face split into a grin and Harry frowned.

"No, I don't need to kill you. I only need to disarm you, you said it yourself! Then I can kill you!" he said victoriously.

"Yeah, well, you've got a problem there, too," Harry said daringly. "You see, I'm unarmed."

Voldemord roared in frustration and yelled, "Crucio!"

Pain hit Harry squarely in the chest, but it was strange, distant, dull... It still caused him to sink to his knees, but he did not scream. His four guardians whispered encouragingly to him. He would take this; he had to protect Snape and the Elder Wand.

"Maybe this will do the trick, eh, Harry Potter – The Boy Who Lived! You won't live much longer now!" Voldemort spat venomously.

"Just get on with it," Harry said hoarsely. "I'm not going to fight back. Like I said, I'm unarmed. My wand got broken months ago. I have the pieces here if you want proof," said Harry and he pulled his broken holy wand out of his moleskin pouch, his hands trembling.

"See," he said and held it out to Voldemort. "You weren't afraid of trying to kill me when I was just a baby, unable to hold a wand, so what's stopping you now?"

"Nothing," said Voldemort and he grinned, his red eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Absolutely nothing. I gained a new body, and cleared all the obstacles, even your mother's stupid sacrifice! Even your precious wand is now gone. I shall kill you, finally gaining the Elder Wand's allegiance, and then nothing will stand in my path to victory!" he exclaimed madly.

"Stand up Severus," Voldemort demanded suddenly. Snape lifted his head slightly, as if he was woken from a trance, but he did not move. "I said stand up!" Voldemort bellowed.

_"You've made it, love,"_ Harry heard his mother speak, and he realized he was still holding the Resurrection Stone firmly in his palm. Yes, he had made it, and now only the last stage remained.

Snape scrambled to his feet and locked eyes with Harry just for a split second, but it was enough. Harry saw what he needed to see. Snape's eyes were so full of strange fire; it came almost as a shock to him to see such eyes on that face. A second later they were cold fathomless orbs again and Snape turned to Voldemort.

"Thank you, my Lord," Snape said and bowed.

Voldemort beckoned Snape to stand next to him. "Stand by my side, faithful servant. You shall be greatly rewarded for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for your master. If only every single one of my Death Eaters would be like you! You will be my right hand, Severus, you shall stand next to me when I rise and rule in the new world we'll create!" Voldemort announced.

Harry almost had to fight a strange urge to burst out laughing. Voldemort's faith in his most faithful servant was beyond ironic, and Harry risked a little grin in the corner of his lips and savoured in it. Voldemort will never know what hit him. He slowly returned his holy wand back into his pouch, took another glance at his parents' smiling faces, at Sirius and Lupin who nodded and smiled at him, and he released the Resurrection Stone into the pouch as well. He was ready to meet them.

He looked up from where he was kneeling, straight into his executioner's face.

They were all waiting. Nobody moved. He could only hear Hagrid still struggling, and his heart ached suddenly, ached for his friends. He yearned to hug them all one last time and tell them he loved them, yearned to see Ginny and pull her in an embrace, and feel her lips on his –

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand, his head tilted a little to the side, considering the boy kneeling in front of him with thrilled expectation.

Harry looked straight into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, before he lost control, before he betrayed the secret —

In a flash of green light everything was gone.

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><p><em>Now, do leave a review and tell me what you think of this, or just say hi! I simply adore reviews, and they give me a lot of inspiration!<em>

_Where do we go from here on? Should Harry return or not? _


	6. Chapter 6: HE IS DEAD!

_Sorry for the delay. I'm currently in Austria in Vienna Airport, in a cafe, waiting for my flight to Helsinki, Finland. I couldn't find time to post this yesterday, I had to pack..._

_I probably won't be able to update for 3 weeks now, until I come back home._

_Anyway, enjoy!_

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><p><em><em>HE IS DEAD!

_"Voldemort!"_

Severus' eyes shot open. _Harry._

Nagini's orb stopped barely an inch from the tip of his nose. The snake struck at him, opening her jaw widely, and for a moment he could swear he saw the impatient droplets of venom shining on her fangs. His whole body shuddered involuntarily.

The boy was here.

Death Eaters around him roared and some even laughed – he knew Bellatrix' hyena-howls well. The boy approached the Dark Lord; Severus could tell by how the clearing became quiet again. He did not dare to lift his head to search for the boy with his eyes. He waited patiently for his own death, staring at the ground, and wished it all to be over soon. Why did the boy have to show up at that precise moment anyhow? Couldn't he have waited for a couple of seconds? Severus' heart was going wild. He could not wait any longer, it was pure torture. He was thinking of simply leaning forward and letting Nagini do the job.

"Harry Potter," the Dark Lord hissed. "I am so glad you could join us. You are right on time, too. Excuse me for a minute; I am currently in a middle of something, as you can see."

Severus could not hold back anymore. The muscles in his neck twisted automatically. He had to look at the boy one last time before the Dark Lord finished what he started. They would both die side by side soon anyhow. His black eyes found the green. But it made him feel even worse. Those eyes, they were so young, so full of life... The Dark Lord would destroy that soon, just like he destroyed everything he touched, just like he destroyed Lily, and Severus couldn't do anything to prevent it. It was simply destined to be. He had to let it happen. At least he didn't have to watch how Voldemort would crush the only thing Lily left behind. At least he would go first.

"I'm the Elder Wand's master!" the boy yelled suddenly.

Severus did not comprehend at first. What was the boy blabbering about?

"Harry Potter... You, the Elder Wand's master!" The Dark Lord laughed cruelly.

"Yeah. So if you want it, you'll have to kill me," the boy said defiantly, and suddenly Severus knew. The foolish boy was trying to save him! He might as well shout, 'Don't kill him, kill me!' But what was this mad idea to pretend he was the Elder Wand's master? Did he think he would distract the Dark Lord? Severus could not understand the boy's motives and he was angry at him. Severus didn't need saving, he was just about to die, but Potter had to spoil that too, and foolishly prolong the suffering for both of them!

"Tell me something. Were you the one to kill Dumbledore perhaps?" the Dark Lord asked mockingly.

"You just don't get it, do you? You do realize there are people out there who know more than you, don't you, Tom?" the stupid boy retorted provokingly. Snape wished Potter's long tongue would curl back and remain there. Foolish brat, didn't he know who he was talking to?

The Dark Lord shrieked and struck at the boy, hitting him so hard with a spell that the boy staggered backwards. But Potter wouldn't stop. He quoted the prophecy with a strong voice, and insisted he was the Elder Wand's master. The boy had the nerve. Stupid Gryffindor bravado! Did Potter _want_ to suffer before he died? Was he trying to provoke the Dark Lord?

"You don't need to kill the Wand's previous master to gain its allegiance!," the boy told the Dark Lord, and Severus became attentive again. "Dumbledore never killed Grindelwald. He only defeated him. And somebody else got to Dumbledore before Snape did! I know, I was there the whole time, hidden under my Invisibility Cloak. I saw everything!" he exclaimed.

The boy claimed it was Draco Malfoy who disarmed Dumbledore and now Severus was utterly confused. Where was he going with this and what was he trying to achieve?

"I'm sure you're aware how I was captured and brought to Malfoy Manor. I got this – " Potter pulled Draco's wand out, "- when I escaped. It's Draco's, I've won it from him. I'm sure his mother can recognize the wand," he said and threw it on the ground in front of Narcissa, who confirmed it was really her son's.

"So you see, I overpowered the Elder Wand's last master," said the boy.

Severus gazed at the ground, and for a moment he forgot he was still kneeling in front of Nagini's protective sphere. He could not believe it. The boy had tricked the Dark Lord. He looked him straight in the eyes and lied to him. But that was not what struck Severus most. The Dark Lord believed every word of this half-lie! Severus now knew perfectly well that the boy managed to withhold a crucial piece of information. Harry Potter was not the Elder Wand's master any more. The Elder Wand was _his, it was his either way, whether the boy was telling the truth or not. _It was him who killed Dumbledore, and it was him who disarmed Potter. So unless Potter was a really good liar and Draco was still the Wand's master... Highly unlikely, the boy had Draco's wand, they'd already established that...

Snape glanced at the Wand, _his Wand_, being rolled around in his Master's bony fingers.

"Yeah, I can see your dilemma," Harry taunted the Dark Lord. "You want the Elder Wand so you can kill me with it, but the only way to get it is to kill me," the boy pointed out the paradox boldly, his voice confident and absolutely believable. Severus' chest suddenly swelled with something that perhaps resembled pride. There was no other explanation, the boy had obviously finally learned how to properly use Occlumency.

"No, I don't need to kill you. I only need to disarm you, you said it yourself! Then I can kill you!" the Dark Lord exclaimed victoriously.

"Yeah, well, you've got a problem there, too," Potter said daringly. "You see, I'm unarmed."

The Dark Lord roared in frustration and hit the boy with a Crucio. Out of the corner of his eye Severus saw how the boy sank to his knees under the torture. But strangely, he did not scream in pain, and this shook Severus most. He should scream, it was natural to scream, everybody screamed, he knew that well...

"Just get on with it," the boy said in a broken voice. "I'm not going to fight back. Like I said, I'm unarmed. My wand got broken months ago. I have the pieces here if you want proof," he said and pulled his broken holy wand out of a pouch round his neck with trembling hands and held it out for everyone to see. Something around Severus' chest tightened so he could barely breathe. He knew the feeling; the boy wanted it to end soon. He was goading the Dark Lord into finishing him off. He was sacrificing himself. The broken wand in the boy's hands was the last symbol of his surrender.

"You weren't afraid of trying to kill me when I was just a baby, unable to hold a wand, so what's stopping you now?" the boy said quietly.

"Nothing," said the Dark Lord maliciously. "Absolutely nothing. I gained a new body, and cleared all the obstacles, even your mother's stupid sacrifice! Even your precious wand is now gone. I shall kill you, finally gaining the Elder Wand's allegiance, and then nothing will stand in my path to victory!" he exclaimed madly.

Anger rose up Severus' throat at the mention of Lily's death. He clenched his hands and swore to himself he would make _Voldemort_ pay for what he did. He found it disgusting that he still had to pretend he worshiped his _lordship_, but he had to do it, though he wanted nothing but to exterminate him.

"Stand up Severus," Voldemort demanded suddenly. Severus knew he was being reprieved, but he did not trust himself to obey the command just yet, he needed a moment to push the anger aside and carry on as if nothing had happened. "I said stand up!" Voldemort bellowed.

Severus scrambled to his feet and locked eyes with Harry just for a split second. He wanted to let the boy know he understood, he wanted to assure him it was alright, he wanted to let him know it would not be in vain, that he would stay behind and finish it. Then he pushed away all his emotions, all his anger and sadness and grief and desire for revenge, locked them deep inside and forced himself to play his part again.

"Thank you, my Lord," he said and bowed, though he would prefer strangling the monster with his bare hands. Voldemort beckoned Severus to stand next to him. "Stand by my side, faithful servant. You shall be greatly rewarded for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for your master. If only every single one of my Death Eaters would be like you! You will be my right hand, Severus, you shall stand next to me when I rise and rule in the new world we'll create!" Voldemort announced.

Severus smirked at the irony, knowing well that it would be interpreted in a completely different way. If every single Death Eater was like him Voldemort would have no followers. He was now standing right behind Voldemort, and saw the boy kneeling humbly in front of them.

The boy slowly returned his broken holy wand back into his pouch, and glanced left and right as if he was able to see something or someone there... Then he looked up from where he was kneeling, straight into his executioner's face. In that moment Severus admired the boy.

They were all waiting. Everything was waiting, it seemed to Severus that even his breath halted in his lungs and his heart paused in its beat. Nobody moved, only Hagrid who was tied to a tree nearby was still struggling in a futile attempt to break free.

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand, his head tilted a little to the side, and before Severus knew it there was a blinding flash of green light.

He closed his eyes. It was done.

He opened his eyes again, expecting to find the boy's body lying limply on the ground and hear Voldemort and all the Death Eaters shrieking in triumph. But instead he found that Voldemort himself collapsed on the ground. Both the boy and the dark wizard were lying lifelessly on the forest floor. What happened? Nagini's orb was gone and the snake coiled and uncoiled restlessly on the ground.

Whispers and murmurs filled the clearing, and some of the Death Eaters approached in hurried steps, checking to see what had happened. Bellatrix pushed Severus aside and kneeled at her Master's side.

"My lord... my lord..." she whispered in a sickeningly soft voice.

Severus did not move. His thoughts were running wild. Could it be that the boy somehow managed to defeat Voldemort?

But then Voldemort regained consciousness.

"That will do," he hissed and the Death Eaters scattered back.

"My Lord, let me —"

"I do not require assistance," said Voldemort coldly, rejecting Bellatrix' help.

"Is the boy dead?" he asked.

Severus' eyes widened. Why would Voldemort even consider the option the boy was still alive? Could it be...?

No one dared to approach and check for the boy's vital signs. So Voldemort ordered Narcissa Malfoy to check if the boy was really dead. She bent low over the body, examining the boy's face and his chest for any sign of breathing and beating of a heart.

"He is dead!" Narcissa Malfoy called. Jeers erupted in the clearing. No one noticed Severus didn't join in.

The boy was gone. It had really happened. Broken like his wand. Gone.


	7. Chapter 7: THE SNAKE AND THE SWORD

_Back again from Helsinki and Vienna! Home sweet home... Anyway, here's the promised update! _

_Again, few fragments of text are taken from the original 7__th__ book from the HP series, and are only used as a reference. _

_Enjoy!_

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><p><em><em>THE SNAKE AND THE SWORD

There was no time to dwell on the matter. The boy was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. Now Severus had to focus on the snake. Should he take it out right there, right now? No, that would reveal his true allegiance too soon – or perhaps they would think he was an impostor. Either way, he would not stand a chance alone. He would likely be killed instantly afterwards, and the element of surprise he could use on Voldemort would be wasted. He was not afraid of dying, he was just afraid of failing. He wanted to bring Voldemort down himself, he wanted to crush him like an insect. He wanted revenge, and he wanted to be sure that Lily's sacrifice – and Harry's sacrifice would not be in vain. But at the same time he was terrified of facing him, because he knew well how powerful and cruel Voldemort was. He wasn't a match for Voldemort, he knew that, but perhaps with the Elder Wand... The only problem was that Voldemort still had it in his hands. How on earth would he be able to get to it? But then he realized something. It didn't matter if he had the Elder Wand in his possession or not. The whole point of Harry's sacrifice was not for Severus to gain the Elder Wand; it was all about Voldemort not having it. The Elder Wand was still like any other in the dark wizard's hands, and that was all that mattered. He would simply have to face Voldemort head-on if needed, and he would have to be brave, brave like Lily was, brave like Harry was, and he would look straight into Voldemort's eyes and reveal his true allegiance. He so wanted to see the look on Voldemort's snake-like face when he realized that Severus had tricked him, and he wanted that to be the last thing on the dark wizard's mind.

"You see?" screeched Voldemort over the tumult. "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Crucio!"

Severus' fist clenched around his wand. Nothing was sacred to Voldemort, nothing but himself and his own life, his power, his rule, and so he disgraced the boy's body for enjoyment. Severus held his gaze the whole time. He had seen worse, much worse. At least Voldemort couldn't harm the boy anymore.

_No man alive can threaten him now..._ Severus sneered. Oh, the revenge will be sweet! Voldemort had no idea that his right-hand man was plotting his end while he was having fun with the boy's corpse.

Voldemort then ordered a sobbing Hagrid to carry the body back to Hogwarts castle. Severus could not look at the limp form that looked even more fragile in the half-giant's hands. He kept his gaze on the snake, deliberating over the most effective and reliable methods of getting rid of her. But then Voldemort placed the snake on his shoulders. How on earth would he be able to pull it off now? He needed to wait until Voldemort sent his snake away, and secretly follow it. He would then still have to come back before Voldemort realized what had happened, and stick a knife in his back, figuratively speaking. He much preferred his own Sectumsempra. _For enemies._

The victorious procession marched on through the dark forest, toward the open ground. The Centaurs emerged among the trees, watching the procession in silence, and some Death Eaters threw insults at them. But they passed without much conflict and a little later they had reached the edge of the forest.

"Stop."

Cold air hit Severus' face, a tell-tale sign of the presence of hundreds of Dementors. But aside from the coldness, Severus didn't feel anything. His heart was numb and cold anyway, locked under layers of Occlumency shields.

Voldemort stepped forward and spoke, his voice magically magnified, announcing his victory and the boy's death to the unseen audience in the Hogwarts castle. There was no answer; the grounds and the school were dead silent.

"Come," Voldemort beckoned them forward. Severus strode with the crowd, and found himself right next to Hagrid, who kept on sobbing, carrying the boy's limp form in his enormous hands as if it was a rag doll. It was very strange, walking so close, but Severus kept his empty gaze forward and strode with determination.

"Stop."

The Death Eaters came to a halt again, forming a line facing the front doors of the school. Reddish light streamed upon them from the entrance hall through the open doorway. They waited.

"NO!"

The terrible scream shook Severus to the core. He had never heard Minerva making such a sound. He had never thought it possible. It was even worse than when she attacked him and called him a coward.

Survivors of the battle came out onto the front steps, summoned by Minerva's piercing scream, to see the truth of Harry's death for themselves. More desperate cries were heard, each more terrible than the previous one. Severus pressed his lips in a thin line and stood still as a statue, until he heard his name and jerked his head up.

"Snape, you bastard!" Minerva screamed through the tears. "You coward! I will get you if it is the last thing I do! Traitor!"

Her words didn't sting at all, because she was right. Oh yes, he was a traitor, since the night he met Dumbledore on that windy hilltop, and since then he had never, not even once, regretted his decision.

Minerva's screeches were joined by many others. They were screaming and yelling abuse at the Death Eaters, until Voldemort screeched and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

"You see?" said Voldemort, striding backward and forward right beside the place where the boy lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" yelled the young Weasley boy, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until Voldemort forced silence upon them with a second, more powerful bang.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," lied Voldemort, and there was relish in his voice, "killed while trying to save himself —"

Voldemort suddenly broke off. Someone had broken free of the crowd and charged at him. Severus recognized the boy at once. There was a scuffle and a shout, then another bang, a flash of light, and a grunt of pain. The boy hit the ground, disarmed, Voldemort throwing his wand aside and laughing.

"And who is this?" Voldemort asked in a soft hiss. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

Bellatrix gave a delighted laugh and opened her mouth to say something, but Severus cut in before she could utter any sound.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord," Severus said hurriedly. "The boy who has been giving the Carrows and me so much trouble. The son of the Aurors, a pureblood," Severus added. It was all he could say to save the stupid boy.

"Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking down at Longbottom, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected. "And you're a pureblood," Voldemort said to Longbottom.

"So what if I am?" said the boy loudly, his empty hands curled in fists.

"You are of noble stock and you show spirit and bravery. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom," said Voldemort slyly.

"I'll join you when hell freezes over," said Longbottom with disgust. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, which Voldemort's Silencing Charms seemed unable to hold. Was Severus the only one who found that fact strange?

Then Severus suddenly realised... It worked. There could be no other explanation for it. Harry's sacrifice protected them, just like had Dumbledore predicted. Severus didn't need to worry about their safety; he could focus on Voldemort and his pet snake. Perhaps he could kill them both with a single Killing Curse...

"Very well," said Voldemort, and Severus detected danger in the venomous silkiness of his voice. "If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head, be it." he said dangerously.

Voldemort waved his wand, and at first nothing happened. Severus thought Harry's protection must have saved the stupid boy. But seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew straight into Voldemort's hand. It was the Sorting Hat.

Voldemort announced that there would be no more Sorting at Hogwarts, no more Houses but the noble House of Salazar Slytherin. He pointed his wand at Longbottom, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto the boy's head. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding their opponents at bay. Severus, too, raised his wand, but no one noticed that it wasn't pointed at them, but at Voldemort himself.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.

Screams split the dawn, and Longbottom was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move. Severus expected the jinx to be rendered ineffective soon. Surely Harry's protection was strong enough... But nothing happened. Severus thought wildly that he should act now or never. Stupid boy! Why did he have to charge at Voldemort? Stupid Gryffindor bravado again! He aimed at Voldemort, decided to take him out together with his pet snake still resting on his shoulders. The Curse was at the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated. The stupid boy was too close to Voldemort, at this angle he was afraid he would accidentally harm him while aiming at Voldmeort's back. Despite his ability to control himself, he found his palms were moist and he didn't trust his hands enough to fire the Curse.

And then all hell broke loose.

They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school. It sounded like hundreds of people pelted toward the castle, screaming loud war cries. The reinforcements had arrived.

At the same time, Hagrid's half-brother came around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: they ran at Grawp with full speed, making the earth quake.

Then the Centaur's arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise. Severus cast a shield charm to protect himself from the onslaught. But many Death Eaters were not quick enough and they fell to the ground or staggered around with arrows sticking out of their backs and shoulders.

Finally Longbottom suddenly broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him. The Sorting Hat fell off him and he pulled something long and silver out of it, with a glittering, ruby-encrusted handle. Severus easily recognized the Sword of Gryffindor – he had to make an exact replica of it, and thus he knew each and every detail of the weapon.

Longbottom swung with the sword and Nagini's head spun high into the air. Voldemort screamed in fury, but nobody could hear him over the turmoil. The snake's body limply thudded to the ground at his feet.

Severus could not believe his eyes. The snake was dead and it was all Longbottom's doing. The stupid boy at least had more luck than brains. It was Severus' turn now. He grabbed his wand tightly, but before he could aim, a spell came shooting his way and he barely had time to deflect it. Apparently Minerva wasted no time in holding her promise of revenge. He caught a glimpse of her murderous glare, but then another wave of arrows distracted him. There were screams and confusion, and roars and the thunderous stamps of the battling giants, but still Hagrid's yell drowned all other sounds in Severus' ears.

"HARRY!" Hagrid screamed. "HARRY — WHERE'S HARRY?"


	8. Chapter 8: THE SILVER DOE AGAIN

_Whoa, this was a thrilling chapter to write! Enjoy!_

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><p><em><em>THE SILVER DOE AGAIN

Severus turned to the spot where Hagrid stood and followed his confused gaze. Where Harry's body should have lain there was nothing but grass trodden down by the panicked Death Eaters.

Where was Harry's body? There wasn't any trace left, not even a piece of clothing or blood, in case the body had been accidentally trodden over or picked up by the giants.

Perhaps someone had summoned it inside Hogwarts castle... Yes, that must have been it, probably someone from the Weasleys; they would have wanted to have the boy's body to give it a proper burial.

When Severus turned back, Voldemort had disappeared out of sight. He shouldn't have let Hagrid and the disappearance of Harry's body distract him! He cursed loudly, but he couldn't even hear himself in the chaotic turmoil. The centaurs charged, everyone was trying to avoid the giants' stamping feet in panic, and the reinforcements thundered nearer and nearer. Then he caught a glimpse of Voldemort's bald head on the front steps of the castle. The crowd was moving inside and Severus pushed through it, avoiding spells and arrows shot at him. He could not get a clear aim at Voldemort, and having to constantly deflect hostile spells didn't exactly help.

Between the giants' stamping feet and charging centaurs he saw no alternative but to rise in the air. He wanted to get to Voldemort as soon as possible. He looked up before his feet detached the ground and saw great winged creatures soaring around the heads of giants; obviously Hogwart's Thestrals and... a Hippogriff?

The distraction lasted for less than a second, but that moment of inattention cost him dearly. Something sharp hit him in his left thigh, and at first he thought it was just a piece of rock, but then a burning sensation spread all over his upper leg and he felt something warm trickle down his skin. He glanced down and there was a large arrow sticking out of his leg. _Bloody brilliant._

Despite the injury he flew above the heads of the surprised combatants, who pointed and exclaimed shrilly in surprise, but still managed to throw a couple of curses and hexes at him. They all miraculously missed him by an inch, but because of the onslaught he lost sight of Voldemort again. He touched the ground in the Entrance Hall, but as soon as he landed he had to take cover behind a pile of debris.

Minerva obviously spotted him and threw an arsenal of spells at him.

"I will get you Snape! You can't hide forever!" she screeched, but thankfully she couldn't shoot any more spells at him as more and more people came storming up the front steps and she was pushed away by the crowd.

Centaurs burst into the hall and on the other end of the Entrance Hall the doors that led to the kitchen were blasted open and a swarm of house-elves emerged, attacking Death Eaters with kitchen knives and cleavers.

A few Stunners cast by some Hogwarts students forced Severus to stagger backwards. The sudden movement caused pain to shoot up his leg. He cursed loudly. Untill now he didn't even have time to pull the blasted arrow out of his leg.

He backed against a wall to avoid a large galloping centaur and set his teeth to pull the arrow out of his leg. He could feel the sharp metal point cut through the meat as he pulled it out and he growled in pain. A warm feeling told him that a gush of blood poured out of the wound. At that moment a strong Shield Charm was erected in front of him, and a flash of red light bounced off it. He released the arrow dripping with his blood, raised his wand with slightly shaky hands and searched for the source of the onslaught as well as for his protector. But in the turmoil he really couldn't tell who had shot those two spells at him. He saw Horace Slughorn in his emerald pyjamas pass by, his wand raised high up, and Lucius and Narcissa were at the opposite end of the hall, avoiding spells and hooves and knives, trying to locate Draco.

He tried to locate Voldemort again, but he was nowhere to be found. Judging by the noise coming from the Great Hall, and all the combatants rushing in, that was where he was most likely to be found.

He tried to limp his way across the hall but it was no use. He was desperate to finish the job set for him, but right now the odds were against him. He was dizzy, and he only managed to make a few steps forward. He only just decided to take flight again when a strong spell hit him and he was blasted backwards straight into a chamber opposite the Great Hall.

He tried to scramble to his feet but when he raised his eyes he was met by none other than Minerva McGonagall. She pointed her wand at him, her nostrils flaring. "Finally!" she hissed.

"Please... Minerva," he said pleadingly. "You don't know what you're doing..."

Minerva raised her wand higher, pointing it directly at Severus' chest. "Oh, I know exactly what I..."

Minerva was suddenly cut off by a flash of light from Severus' wand and a sudden scream that rooted both of them to the spot.

"NO, Professor, don't! He's on our side!"

Harry appeared out of nowhere at the exact moment as Severus' doe Patronus burst out of the tip of his wand.

Minerva's jaw dropped to the ground and she gasped, "HARRY!"

Severus simply gawked at him, and his doe Patronus seemed to do the same. He could not believe his eyes, and neither could Minerva.

"You – you – you're alive!" Minerva exclaimed and pulled him into a hug, but the next moment she gasped again, drew away and pointed a wand at his chest. "How do I know it's you?" she demanded.

The boy widened his eyes, but after a second or so he said, "Er... You gave me my first broomstick, a Nimbus Two Thousand, in my first year, after you saw me catch Neville's Remembrall..."

"What did I write in the note you got with the broom?" she demanded, still not completely convinced.

"Um... Not to open the parcel at the table, so that..."

Minerva didn't let the boy finish the sentence; she was convinced and pulled him into another tight hug.

"But – I don't understand, we saw you there – we thought you were gone!" she said with tears in her eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I'll have to explain later. Right now we need Professor Snape's help to finish off Voldemort," Potter said.

Only now Minerva focused her attention back on Snape and his Patronus. She widened her eyes and gasped as it suddenly became clear to her. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. "Lily..." she whispered, staring at the doe with a sombre expression.

At the sound of the name Severus stopped staring at the boy and cancelled his Patronus spell. He didn't even know why he cast it; he should have just Stunned Minerva in the first place. Her eyes watered and she looked at him with pity. _Great, just what he needed._

"But – you –" she muttered and pointed at him, her expression becoming darker. "You killed Dumbledore!"

"Dumbledore ordered me to kill him," Severus said, putting a long story short and recovering from the shock of seeing the boy alive. How that was possible was beyond him, but all the detailed explanations had to wait.

"And he was dying anyway, remember his blackened hand?" added Potter.

Minerva turned wide-eyed from one to the other and nodded curtly. It was quite amazing how fast she comprehended it all, and Severus admired that greatly. Of course, she was much wiser and more experienced in putting two and two together than Potter, who needed to see both Severus' Patronus and all of his most guarded memories to finally believe him.

"Why do we need his help?" Minerva asked Potter.

"Er... It's kind of complicated..." said the boy.

"There's no time to explain," said Severus. "I can finish off Voldemort, he still thinks I'm on his side, so I can get close to him and attack him. But I need your help. I can't do it on my own in this condition," he said hurriedly, indicating his injured leg. It was too complicated to explain everything about the Elder Wand. "Are you with me or not?" he said, looking straight into Minerva's eyes.

"You called him by his name..." she said in awe and Severus caught a strange glimmer in her eyes, one that he couldn't quite pinpoint, for she had never given him such a look.

She pursed her lips and quickly flourished her wand, conjuring something white out of thin air. It was a bandage. She bent down, and whispered a spell over Snape's leg that caused a hot but soothing sensation to spread over his thigh. Meanwhile Potter made sure they weren't being observed, but he still left the door slightly open to be able to peer through it and see what was going on in the hall. Then Minerva pressed the bandage to the wound, making Severus hiss loudly in pain. With another flourish more bandages appeared around Severus' leg, securing the first one tightly against the wound.

"It's only a temporary solution," she said.

"Thank you," he said hoarsely, feeling relieved as the pain slightly subsided.

Minerva smiled briefly. He wasn't alone in his fight anymore, he realized all of a sudden, and it was an extremely liberating feeling.

"Don't dawdle away now! Let's go!" Minerva exclaimed.

Severus gave a curt nod and scrambled to his feet. His leg still hurt, but he could walk.

"Alright, but we need a plan first," he said decisively.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Potter.

"First, don't waste the element of surprise!" Severus snarled at him and pulled the Invisibility cloak back over his shoulders. "Watch my back, not everybody knows of my true allegiance!" he ordered the boy and he nodded before his head disappeared under the Cloak, too.

"Minerva, pretend you're battling me! And let's take it to the Great Hall, as close to Voldemort as possible," he said and she nodded, determination shining in her eyes. "Try to be persuasive!" he added and led the way out, rising in the air again to get to Voldemort quickly.

"Get back here, you coward!" he heard Minerva screech behind him, and a curse came shooting through the air, missing him narrowly, followed by a swarm of angry bats, which he quickly transfigured into mice. Apparently Minerva took his advice to be persuasive a tad too seriously...

He easily spotted Voldemort from his position high up in the air. He was battling Kingsley, Horace and Flitwick, all at the same time in the far end of the Great Hall. Severus could not get a proper aim from this far; he had to get closer. Unfortunately, floating high up in the air attracted a lot of attention and made him an easy target. Arthur Weasley and two of his oldest sons shot spells at him, and he was forced to touch the ground and defend himself from the furious onslaught from the three wizards. He sensed a Protego Charm being erected behind his back. Somebody must have decided to attack him shamelessly from behind, but obviously Potter made himself useful.

"Leave him, he's all mine!" screamed Minerva as she managed to force her way through the battling crowd, clearly trying to ensure nobody would attack him for real.

They engaged into a makeshift battle, but it wasn't any less dangerous for either of them. Minerva was a formidable opponent, and despite his injury she didn't go easy on him. Slowly they progressed backwards, approaching Voldemort and Bellatrix; they were now the only ones still standing, all the Death Eaters had been defeated. Bellatrix was battling against three young witches at once: the Granger, Weasley and Lovegood girl, but even the three combined were not a match for her.

Severus was distracted as Minerva sent a shipment of sharp rock debris towards him, which he skilfully transfigured into feathers, which she then transfigured into sharp quills, which he turned half way around just in time so they hit him with the soft side. Thus he didn't see exactly what had happened, but all of a sudden Molly Weasley yelled, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

He couldn't observe the fight between the two witches, Minerva kept him much too occupied, but he could tell it was a life-and-death struggle. The air cackled with magic around the two witches and the floor beneath their feet became all cracked from the heat.

Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the three fights: Bellatrix and Molly Weasley, Voldemort and his three opponents, and himself and Minerva.

Bellatrix laughed madly, but then her cackle was suddenly cut off and Severus knew instantly what had occurred.

Molly Weasley finished off Bellatrix, and the crowd roared in victory. Voldemort screamed as he realized what had happened, sending his three opponents backwards through the air in a powerful blast. He raised his wand vengefully at Molly. Severus didn't have much time to think, he simply had to react.

He cast a strong Shield Charm to protect Molly, but he wasn't the only one. Two strong Protego Charms expanded in the middle of the hall. Voldemort turned to Severus in confusion and fury.

"SNAPE! What the hell are you doing?" he screeched irately.

In that very moment Potter appeared in the middle of the hall, pulling off his Invisibility Cloak.

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><p><em>Please leave a review. You have no idea how much they mean to me! <em>

_And I thank everyone who has added this little story to their Story Alerts and/or Favorite Stories' list! I appreciate it!_


	9. Chapter 9: HE'S ALIVE!

_The time has come!_

_Enjoy!_

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><p><em><em>HE'S ALIVE!

"Protego!" roared Harry, but he wasn't the only one. Snape had also cast a Shield Charm to protect Mrs Weasley from Voldemort's fury, and had thus found himself in a compromising position.

"SNAPE! What are you doing?" Voldemort screeched irately.

Harry knew Snape had revealed his true allegiance sooner than they had planned. The element of surprise was wasted, and so he pulled off his Invisibility Cloak without hesitation. It was the only thing he could think of to distract Voldemort and perhaps give Snape another chance.

"HARRY!" "It's Harry!" "HE'S ALIVE!" "Harry's alive!"

The yells, the cheers, the screams of shock erupted all around the Great Hall, but then silence fell abruptly as Voldemort hissed, "YOU!"

His red eyes were wide in pure shock as he stared at Harry.

"Yeah, me. The Boy Who Lived – twice," said Harry bravely, and in the total silence his voice echoed all over the Great Hall like a lion's roar.

Harry stood powerfully, looking Voldemort straight in the eye, because he knew the moment had come. He was not afraid anymore. He survived the second time, had gone beyond and met Dumbledore again. He had seen what was left of Voldemort's soul, and unlike him, Harry had nothing to be afraid of if he were to return.

Voldemort snorted scornfully. "You survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings!"

"Accident was it?" asked Harry heatedly. "Accident that you tried to kill me when I was just a baby and my mother died to save me?"

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Snape tightening the grip around his wand, but he quickly focused his attention back on Voldemort's face and continued fervently, "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard and managed to escape with Cedric's body? Accident, that I chose not to defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

Voldemort sneered, his eyes darting nervously from Harry to Snape. The three of them were standing completely still, rooted to the spot in a perfect triangle.

"Accidents!" screamed Voldemort, but still he did not move and he did not strike, and the watching crowd was frozen as if Petrified, standing along the walls of the Great Hall like marble statues. "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and snivelled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them instead of you!" he cried madly.

"You won't be able to kill any of them ever again," said Harry as they stared into each other's eyes, green into red. "I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people —"

"But you survived!"

"— I meant to die for them, and that was enough," said Harry. "I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't silence them. You can't torture them. You can't touch them."

"Shall we put this theory of yours to the test then, Potter? Any volunteers?" Voldemort shouted and grinned wickedly, his red eyes travelling along the perimeter of the Great Hall in search of a victim.

"I don't want anyone to try to help," Harry said loudly to the crowd along the walls.

"Potter doesn't mean that! He said himself that you're protected from me, that I can't kill you!" Voldemort said to the terrified crowd. "Or perhaps you aren't quite certain about your theory, Potter? Perhaps it is just a clever scheme, so you can crouch behind your friends and permit me to kill them instead of you again... Who are you going to use as a shield this time, Potter?"

"Nobody. Unlike you, I have nothing to be afraid of. There are no more Horcruxes, Tom," said Harry. "Besides the diary, the ring, the cup, the diadem, the locket, and the snake, there was one inside of me as well, did you know that?" he added.

"What are you blabbering about?" Voldemort hissed scornfully, his voice unnaturally high.

"You unknowingly left it behind when you tried to kill me for the first time and the Curse rebounded. That is why our minds were connected. But now it's gone, you killed it yourself back in the Forbidden Forest with the very spell you intended to kill me with. Now there is only one maimed fragment of your soul left, and it resides in your body, which you unwisely restored using my blood..." Harry told him. "You made a big mistake there, you know? You tried to destroy my mother's protection, yet you managed to preserve it in your own body..."

"Impossible!" Voldemort hissed, but it sounded as though he was trying to convince no one but himself.

Harry snorted and shook his head. "You're hopeless. You just think you know everything. You think you're smarter than everyone else, don't you?"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare –"

"Yes, I dare," said Harry boldly, "Because I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle, lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

Voldemort did not speak, and Harry knew that he kept him temporarily mesmerized and at bay, held back by the faintest possibility that Harry might indeed know one final secret...

"Is it love again?" said Voldemort, his snake's face jeering. "Dumbledore's favourite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death! Ha! Love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork, did it? Love did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter — and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse, though you claim they are all protected from me! There is a flaw in that little theory of yours, Potter – you see, I might not be able to hurt them, but _you_ are not protected from me anymore. This time the Curse intended for you will finally reach its destination! So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

Harry shook his head and sighed. "There are many things you don't know and don't understand, and love is just one of them. You see, Riddle, I am not afraid of you and, unlike you, I am not afraid of dying."

"Not afraid of me and my power? Then you must also believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I don't, but someone else does," said Harry.

Voldemort began to laugh madly, and the sound was more frightening than his screams; humourless and insane, it resonated eerily around the silent Hall.

"With Dumbledore gone who could possibly be more powerful than I, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"Oh, he dreamed of it," said Harry, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"He was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, and what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you," said Harry firmly, "a better wizard, a better man. He made mistakes, too, but he learned from it. You, though... You just don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?" said Harry calmly.

Voldemort's eyes flashed dangerously and he sneered. "Oh, but I do, Potter... Perhaps I can't hurt your friends. Perhaps I can't kill you. But someone else can do it for me," he said, turning to Snape.

"Kill him!" Voldemort shrieked. "What are you waiting for, Snape? Kill him!"

Harry and Severus looked at each other, green eyes into black.

"He's all yours," Harry declared and smirked at him.

"Snape! I order you to kill him!" Voldemort shrieked again in panic, looking wildly from Harry to Snape and back again.

Snape stood there without moving, the knuckles on the hand that was clutching the wand turning white. Harry saw Minerva's wand twitch nervously, but she kept pointing it at Voldemort, ready to protect, ready to strike. Harry, though, didn't doubt Snape anymore, not for a split second. He trusted him like he trusted Dumbledore, and his presence made him feel as confident as he was standing there, facing Voldemort for what would hopefully be the last time.

"In case you haven't noticed, I am not taking your orders anymore," Snape spoke up, and his deep voice reverberated off the stone walls like thunder, making the air in the Great Hall tremble. Every eye was now upon him, for no one but Harry and McGonagall could believe what they were hearing.

Voldemort gritted his teeth with rage. "Useless! How did you manage to get yourself under an Imperious Curse?" he yelled in irritation, obviously finding no other explanation for Snape's behaviour.

"Oh, I assure you, I am acting on my own free will," said Snape and curled his lip.

"What madness is this?" Voldemort hissed and as soon as he uttered the last syllable Snape hurled a horde of curses at him. The dark wizard was barely able to deflect them, and he narrowly avoided a few of them, but still he was untouched. He stared at Snape, apparently in such shock and disbelief that he seemingly forgot to hurl his own curses back at him.

"How dare you!" Voldemort shrieked. "How dare you attack your Master!"

There was a loud bang as he attempted to punish Snape, but the latter easily repelled the curse before Harry or McGonagall had a chance to intervene. Voldemort hissed in frustration and pointed his wand at Snape again. The two of them started to move around in a perfect circle, two hostile predators ready to attack the opponent at any second, and Harry moved around with them alongside Snape.

"Get back, Potter," Snape snarled at Harry.

"Not a chance. You told me to cover your back, and besides, you need help," Harry said, glancing at Snape's bandaged leg. Snape was limping, and the bandage around his thigh was clear evidence of the severe wound beneath, a dark red blood mark blooming in the middle of it.

"Oh, I see... " hissed Voldemort as he observed the two of them. "So, Snape, you decided to betray your Master and join what you think will be the victorious side... You will pay for that with your life. But before I kill you, tell me, what did _he_ promise you that I cannot deliver? I have offered you to rule beside me! I have offered you power!" Voldemort shrieked.

"You have given me nothing but empty promises and years of servitude! And you've taken away the only thing that mattered to me!" Snape cried.

"The only thing that matters is power! What could possibly matter to you more?" Voldemort bellowed.

"You just don't understand, do you, Riddle? There are more important things than power in this world," said Harry.

"There is nothing more important than power!" Voldemort bellowed. "Oh, I know what this is all about! You want to take my place, Snape! But you knew you weren't a match for me all alone, didn't you? And so you joined their side... I see right through your plan, Snape! Being my right-hand man doesn't suit you anymore?"

Snape did not respond, he held his wand firmly and stared at Voldemort.

"I understand you well, Severus. You and I are very much alike," Voldemort said coldly, but almost with a tinge of fondness in his voice.

"You know nothing about me," Snape hissed.

"On the contrary. We come from the same stock. You have my Mark branded on your forearm. You are one of mine."

"Severus Snape isn't yours, he was never truly yours," said Harry fiercely, and he firmly believed it, though at one point in his life he was convinced Snape – The Half-Blood Prince, was just like Voldemort. "He was Dumbledore's, he still is Dumbledore's, and had been Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the one thing you can't understand..."

"Be quiet Potter!" Snape barked.

"He wasn't Dumbledore's! He killed Albus Dumbledore – I ordered him to do it!" Voldemort yelled.

"You thought you did," said Snape, "but you were mistaken."

For the first time, the watching crowd stirred as the hundreds of people around the walls drew breath as one.

"Dumbledore is dead!" Voldemort shrieked. "His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore's dead. I should know that better than anyone else," said Snape calmly. "But you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with me! Besides, Dumbledore was already dying when I finished him!"

Voldemort did not answer. They continued to circle each other like wolves about to tear each other apart.

"You never saw me cast a Patronus, did you, _Voldemort_?" Snape asked quietly.

It was the first time anyone heard Snape call Voldemort publicly by his name, and it caused a wave of whispers along the walls of the Great Hall.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Voldemort barked impatiently.

Snape did not answer, and as Harry looked sideways and saw his profile, he knew the man was struggling to throw the whole truth in Voldemort's face.

"Snape's Patronus is a doe," said Harry before Snape managed to choose the right words, "the same as my mother's, because he loved her from the time when they were children."

"Shut your mouth, Potter!" Snape hissed in rage.

"It's the truth! Why would you be ashamed to admit it?" Harry retorted.

"What childish dream is this?" said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his red eyes darted from Harry to Snape.

"It's true," Snape said quietly in confirmation, and Harry saw Voldemort's nostrils flare. "You should have realized. I asked you to spare her life, didn't I?"

"You desired her, that was all!" sneered Voldemort, still unable to accept the fact that his most faithful servant had betrayed him. "But when she had gone, you agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of you —"

"Of course I told you that!" said Snape intolerantly. "But I was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and I've been working against you ever since! I lied to you, I used Occlumency, and I hid the truth from you, and you never realized it, because you're so convinced of your abilities and you find it impossible to believe that someone might be better than you!"

"It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort and let out a cackle of mad laughter.

"It matters not whether you were mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles you two tried to put in my path! I crushed that little Mudblood, your supposed great love! You and Dumbledore couldn't protect her from me! And Dumbledore is dead anyway! Oh, but it all makes sense, I see it now! Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that you should be the true master of the wand, that's why he arranged his death to be at your hands! But I understood the truth and got there in spite of all — I overpowered Potter three hours ago, he came to me himself, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong!"

"Yeah, it did," said Harry. "You're right. But before you try to kill us, I'd advise you to think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle..."

"How dare you!"

Of all the things that Harry had said to him nothing had shocked Voldemort like this. Harry saw his pupils contract to thin slits, saw the skin around his eyes whiten, and a vein started to throb angrily in his temple.

"It's your one last chance," said Harry gravely, "it's all you've got left... You can still restore your soul. I've seen what you'll become otherwise..."

"You dare –?" said Voldemort again.

"Yes, I dare," said Harry, "because I know Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, but not the way you think."

Harry gripped his wand very tightly, and Snape's hands had become marble white around his own black wand.

They all knew the moment was seconds away.

Harry smirked as he saw that Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand. "That wand still isn't working properly for you, is it?" he taunted him.

Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly. "I overpowered the Elder Wand's last master! You surrendered to me, Potter! The power of the Death Stick is mine!"

"No, you were too late," said Snape. "You've missed your chance. I got there first."

"But – you never beat Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death was planned between the two of you!" Voldemort cried.

"I didn't get it from Dumbledore. Potter lied to you. In all those years I spent teaching him, he actually learned a thing or two. Apparently all those Occlumency lessons paid off."

Voldemort's eyes darted to Harry.

"You shouldn't have let me go look for Potter," said Snape. "I found him, and I disarmed him. I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.

"But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Snape, it makes no difference to you and me. The Elder Wand might be yours, but you don't have it, I do. We duel on skill alone... Unfortunately for you, I am still the greatest wizard alive! And after I have killed you, I will finally have the Wand's allegiance..."

"We shall see, won't we?" said Snape and smirked, glancing meaningfully at McGonagall. She stepped forward, her wand ready.

The enchanted sky above them was suddenly ablaze as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit their faces at the same time, and rendered everything around them to a flaming blur. Harry heard Voldemort's high voice shriek as the final stage of the battle started.

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><p><em>Yes, yes, I know... You'll have to wait for the next update! ;P<em>

_Some parts of this chapter are very similar to the original story, but that's the whole point of this fanfic. I'm only borrowing it all..._


	10. Chapter 10: FIRE AND WATER

_The last battle begins..._

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><p><em><em>FIRE AND WATER

"You shouldn't have let me go look for Potter," said Severus. "I found him, and I disarmed him. I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.

"But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Snape, it makes no difference to you and me. The Elder Wand might be yours, but you don't have it, I do. We duel on skill alone... Unfortunately for you, I am still the greatest wizard alive! And after I have killed you, I will finally have the Wand's allegiance..."

_This was it,_ thought Severus. The moment of bravery. Head on it was, then. No trickery, no element of surprise. Severus lifted his chin high and looked Voldemort straight in the eye.

"We shall see, won't we?" he said and smirked as he glanced at Minerva. She did not fail him. A typically Gryffindor, she stepped forward, her wand ready.

The enchanted sky above them was suddenly ablaze as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit their faces at the same time, and rendered everything around them to a flaming blur. Severus heard Voldemort's high voice shriek, and he ducked just in time while throwing a curse at his nemesis' silhouette, knowing that it would probably miss him.

And so the final stage of the battle began.

Snape lashed at Voldemort with all his might. Curses thundered out of his wand, but Voldemort twirled around and deflected them skilfully, sending his own cursed at Snape. He couldn't move as fast as Voldemort because of his injured leg, but somehow he didn't need to. Voldemort spells seemed to have little effect upon him anyway, and with Minerva and Molly's help not a single one hit him. Even Potter proved useful from time to time; though his attempts at disarming Voldemort were futile, Severus had to admit that the boy's Shield Charms proved to be extremely strong.

Others joined in the fight. Order members, Slughorn, Flitwick, Aberforth, and others encircled the combatants, their wands raised. Only a few could fully engage in combat. They needed a clear view of Voldemort, and they certainly didn't want to hurt each other while aiming at him. And so only two of them, Flitwick and Kingsley, joined in to fight Voldemort in the inner ring. Severus could soon see why Flitwick had been a duelling champion in his youth. The tiny wizard was the only one who managed to get very close to hitting Voldemort with a Blasting Curse, but unfortunately the curse only tore apart the hem of Voldemort's robes. Voldemort didn't even notice it since he was busy firing curses in every direction, even at the crowd leaning against the walls of the Great Hall. Luckily the outer ring, namely the rest of the Order along with Slughorn and Aberforth, stayed vigilant for such occurrences.

The fight seemed to lead nowhere for what must have been several minutes. Voldemort's six opponents all wove and ducked around him, but were still unable to finish him. Neither could Voldemort finish any of them. He seemed particularly keen in finishing Severus first, clearly wanting to gain the Elder Wand's allegiance, but he couldn't even get a proper aim at him. He roared in frustration since, due to multiple attackers, he couldn't focus solely on Severus.

Severus instinctively knew then what Voldemort was about to do. He cast a Protective Charm at the same time as a loud bang reverberated all over the castle and shook it to the foundations, sending Voldemort's opponents flying backwards helplessly. Severus' hair was swept back by the powerful blast, but nevertheless, he was still standing, though he was the only one. The two wizards stared at each other with cold hatred.

"You are a coward, Severus Snape!" Voldemort hissed mockingly. Severus' face hardened. "Hiding behind your little friends! You're just like Potter!" he spat in disgust.

"At least I have someone to back me up. You have no one to help you," Severus said coldly.

"Unlike you I do not require help!" the dark wizard shrieked. "You don't have the guts to stand up to me all by yourself! What a disgusting sneaky little coward you are, Snape!"

Severus ignored his taunting. He knew Voldemort was getting desperate and he couldn't care less what that scum thought of him. He sneered and resorted to the same tactics.

"How does it feel, _Voldemort_? How does it feel knowing that the man you thought to be your most devoted servant was spying on you the whole time?" Severus hissed and relished in his words. "How does it feel to be all alone?"

"There can be only one at the top!" Voldemort roared madly.

Severus had had enough of chit-chat, and so he lifted his wand and without warning shot his own spell, his Sectumsempra, at the Dark Lord, who deflected it, his face contorted with rage, but strangely, he didn't attack yet. He wavered, glancing at the wand in his hand.

"What are you waiting for? Are you afraid the Elder Wand will not obey you when you order it to kill its true master?" Severus said provokingly.

Voldemort did not retort. He attacked instead like an irritated venomous viper.

The two wizards engaged in a deadly combat. The air was hot with magic, and sparks flew in every direction, the smell of melted metal accompanying them. They were fighting to kill. Voldemort, with the wand that would not fully obey him, and Severus, with the injury to his leg, they were equal opponents. Everybody else retreated against the stone walls, observing the fight with fascinated horror.

Then one of Voldemort's spells missed Severus and hit the upper corner of one of the windows behind him. Severus didn't see it, but he could hear that the structure collapsed upon the spectators. He didn't dare to turn around. Someone must have been hurt judging by the screams. Voldemort threw his head back in a vile hysterical cackle.

Severus grabbed the opportunity the moment it presented itself. But Voldemort's reflexes were fast and Severus' curse only grazed him. A gash appeared on Voldemort's snake-like face. A small streak of dark blood poured down his cheek. Voldemort touched it and brought his fingers back in the line of sight. He was shocked.

"You will pay for this!" Voldemort roared in fury, but Severus didn't let him linger on that feeling. He fired a curse after a curse at him and desperately hoped one might eventually reach its destination.

None did.

Voldemort laughed mockingly at Severus' futile attempts. Severus got a very nasty feeling, that while he was throwing all he had at the dark wizard, the latter still hadn't yet used his skills to the full potential.

"You can't beat me Snape! I am more powerful and I shall have the last word!" Voldemort exclaimed madly and waved his wand wildly.

The furious onslaught forced Severus to stagger backwards. He tried to hold his stance but slowly he was becoming tired. His leg was throbbing with pain and he was becoming slightly drowsy due to the blood loss. He wasn't sure how long he was going to last. But Voldemort was also slowly becoming drained. Severus was suspecting that it cost him a great deal of energy to control the Elder Wand in a combat against its true master. Surely enough Voldemort ceased the attack, his chest moving up and down with every ragged breath.

"Enough with the games!" he hissed slightly short-winded. "Let's see if Potter's little friends are really protected from me like he claims…"

Something besides the sun was starting to glow bright orange, and it was coming from within the hall. Severus realized with horror that Voldemort had cast Fiendfyre in the middle of the Great Hall. People screamed and ran in every direction as enormous fiery serpents coiled and uncoiled around them with roaring noise.

Snape lifted his wand high up, trying to tame the fiery beast. Seeing his attempt, Voldemort laughed mirthlessly. He was silenced as soon as Severus successfully dispelled the scorching flames and prevented them to feed upon the wooden tables and benches left in the hall.

"You think you can stop me, traitor? You are no match to Lord Voldemort!" the dark wizard screeched.

"You're forgetting one thing!" Severus yelled. "I am the headmaster of Hogwarts. You're in my territory, Voldemort," he said dangerously and sneered.

Severus' veins were full of adrenalin. He felt powerful and confident as he made a wide gesture with his wand, urging Hogwarts to fight back. Perhaps he couldn't tame the cursed flames himself, but he had an idea how he could do it with some help.

The ground started to shake, and Voldemort's wild grin was quickly replaced by a panicked expression as something dark and tall started to rise around him. A stone wall started to sprout in the middle of the Great Hall, encircling Voldemort and his cursed fiery snakes, and enabling people to run to the safety of the Entrance Hall. Some still stayed behind, wanting either to witness the combat or aid in it.

"Nice work! How did you do that?" exclaimed Minerva as she rushed to Severus' side, joined shortly by Flitwick.

"No idea… Must be something to do with the wand and the waving…" Severus growled in irritation. He didn't quite appreciate Minerva's compliments at the given moment.

"Oh, watch out, I think he's trying to escape…" said Minerva as she saw how Fiendfyre serpents were trying to climb over the encircling walls.

"Allow me…" piped Flitwick and started to chant an incantation, waving his wand delicately. But he didn't point it at the wall that by now had started to grow a dome at the top; Minerva's idea to keep the fire trapped within. Flitwick pointed it at one of the windows, and soon Severus realized why. A stream started to surge upwards from the Great Lake to the castle; a large watery serpent coming to aid them in the fight against its fiery cousin.

Then a bang resonated from within the stone structure. Voldemort and his cursed fire-breathing monsters were trying to escape. The stone walls slowly started to crumble under the bangs.

"Stand back!" Severus demanded and pointed his wand at the structure, murmuring a complex incantation under his breath. A blue jet of light travelled through air and where it hit the stone a thick layer of ice started to form. But that wasn't such a good idea. The added weight only contributed to the deafening collapse of the dome. The fiery monsters climbed over the demolished walls, but were met by their watery opponent, which was controlled by Flitwick. The two creatures attacked each other ruthlessly. Fiendfyre evaporated a large portion of its opponent, but the watery creature had a large supply of water from the lake. Nevertheless, the enormous fiery snake didn't seem to get any smaller. Severus tried to tame it again, but it was too strong to handle.

"I have an idea," yelled Minerva. "Keep doing whatever you're doing, Severus, and try to detain the fire between the walls," she told him, then turned to Flitwick.

"Filius, I'll tear the walls down upon it, any you release the water on top of it," she instructed the tiny professor.

Minerva wasted no time. Severus saw her raise her both hands and soon the remaining walls crumbled and turned into dust, and Flitwick send his complex Water Charm on top of it. The dirty-coloured mixture splashed over the coiling flames and combined with Severus' attempts at dispelling the blaze, it finally extinguished the Fiendfyre with a great hiss. People who remained in the Hall, despite the dangerous fiery beast, cheered loudly as it was destroyed.

The air was left full of smoke, dust and vapour. As a consequence Voldemort was nowhere to be seen.

Severus became nervous. He strained his eyes, trying to distinguish the silhouette of the dark wizard among the clouds of smoke. He approached cautiously, his back safely turned against the wall, his wand ready. Perhaps, if they were lucky, Lord Voldemort had been killed by his own curse...

Suddenly a flash of green light hit him and he knew no more.

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><p><em>Is this really how it's going to end? Convince me otherwise. Go.<em>


	11. Chapter 11: THE ELDER WAND'S TRUE MASTER

_I'm not that evil to leave you in the dark... for too long..._

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><p><em><em>THE ELDER WAND'S TRUE MASTER

"NO!"

Minerva's scream echoed all over the Great Hall. Everything fell silent as Snape's body flew high up in the air, hit the stone wall and slowly slid down along it. People beneath him raised their wands and hands to prevent the fall. They caught him gently and lowered him on the floor.

Harry's heart sank. "No..." he whispered.

He couldn't believe his eyes. It just couldn't be true. He was so sure that his sacrifice protected all of them, all his friends... Then a cold shiver ran down his spine. Perhaps it didn't work for Snape because he hadn't regarded him as a friend... He felt guilt gripping at his insides. He had hated the man for so long...

But no, wait, that couldn't have been it... He had learned of Snape's true allegiance before he went to meet his end in the Forbidden Forest. He saved him from Voldemort's snake. He didn't want him to die. That alone should have been enough. It just didn't make sense... Besides, the Elder Wand wasn't supposed to work properly against its true master. So what went wrong?

Voldemort's mad cackle rose eerily over the silence as he emerged among the clouds of dust and smoke. "I won! I'm the Elder Wand's Master at last! You will all succumb to my rule, I am –"

His voice was cut off by Kingsley, Aberforth and Flitwick, who immediately took over where Snape had ceased.

McGonagall, Harry, and Mrs Weasley rushed to Snape's side. A crowd was gathered around him and was obscuring the view. They parted when they saw Harry approach. Madam Pomfrey and an elderly witch were already kneeling beside Snape, and when Harry finally got a closer look at him, he knew why. They were trying to stop a heavy nosebleed. Harry's brain processed the information quickly.

Dead bodies don't bleed. That could mean only one thing.

Snape was still alive. The Death Curse hadn't killed him. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Snape stirred and people around him gasped as they all realized the same thing.

"He's alive!" "He survived!"

Madam Pomfrey and the elderly witch, who must have been a healer too, tended to his wounds with practised motions. Madam Pomfrey had a stock of vials filled with healing potions and pastes at hand, and was forcing a bright green potion down Snape's throat. Harry was vividly reminded of the incident at the Quidditch World Cup when the Irish Seeker hit the ground at top speed and was instantly revived by a group of healers and a cup of potion.

"Harry, watch out!" somebody screamed suddenly. Harry turned around just in time to realize that Voldemort was now trying to attack him. Professor McGonagall and Mrs Weasley stood in front of him protectively, but Harry wasn't a helpless child anymore. He was capable of defending himself.

He rushed away from the crowd so he wouldn't put anyone in danger.

Voldemort shot curses at him, trying to finish him off, but Harry's quick reflexes and strong Shield Charms combined with McGonagall and Mrs Weasley's skills protected him.

Then Harry had to duck as a Killing Curse came hurtling his way, and as he bent down he noticed his Invisibility Cloak lying on the floor where he had taken it off earlier. He grabbed it hastily, cleaned the dust off it and threw it on his shoulders. Snape's words echoed in his ears.

_Don't waste the element of surprise._

Voldemort laughed cruelly. "Playing hide and seek, Potter? You can't hide from me! Show yourself! NOW! Or I'll rip apart every single person in this hall!"

Flitwick, Kingsley and Aberforth tried to keep him busy to prevent him from realizing his threats. Bill and Charlie Weasley ran forward to help them. Harry kept his Invisibility Cloak on and shot his Shield Charms whenever it was necessary. Only then he noticed just how abnormally strong his Shield Charms were against Voldemort's curses, but he didn't have time to dwell on that realization.

Meanwhile Madam Pomfrey and the older healer were busy with Snape. A couple of wand movements and potions later Snape was back on his feet, a deadly glow in his eyes. The crowd around him parted.

"Voldemort!" Snape bellowed so loudly that Harry thought he must have used a Sonorus Charm.

Voldemort and his opponents stopped fighting. He stared at Snape in pure shock as the latter strode towards him menacingly, his black robes billowing wildly.

Snape shot curses at the dark wizard with deadly precision, but Voldemort still repelled it. He didn't attack back though, and Harry suspected he was still in shock and didn't dare use the Elder Wand against Snape again.

Voldemort then unexpectedly attacked the nearest person besides Snape. He was trying to get another wand. He spun around and disarmed a tall wizard Harry didn't know, but Snape made sure his wand didn't land in Voldemort's hands. With a whip-like crack the wand flew far away, out of Voldemort's reach.

Flitwick and Mr Weasley then attacked Voldemort, trying to distract him enough to prevent him from searching for another victim. That still didn't make Voldemort stop.

He flew up towards a group of adult wizards and witches that Harry recognized mostly as shop owners from Hogsmeade. Some shot spells at him, but they mostly just scattered around in panic as he landed amidst them like a large bird of prey. Voldemort picked the nearest victim. Harry immediately recognized the curly-haired witch. It was Madam Rosmerta that Voldemort had taken as a hostage, pointing the Elder Wand at her cheek. He took her wand and laughed madly.

Harry rushed forward and in a desperate attempt fired a Disarming Spell at Voldemort, but it didn't even hit him since he was still too far away for the aim to be accurate.

The dark wizard spun around in search of the caster. He blindly shot a few spells in the direction where he thought Harry was hiding.

"Show yourself, Potter!" he shrieked. "Or I'll kill her!" he said and pointed her own wand at her.

"Let her go!" yelled Snape. "Don't you get it? You couldn't kill Potter, not even in your second attempt! You couldn't even kill me! You can't kill anyone anymore!"

"We shall see about that soon! I believe I simply need to use another wand!" Voldemort shrieked and pointed his new wand at his victim. His red eyes shone madly, like that of a wounded animal. He was becoming desperate.

Snape reacted quickly. He shot long coiling ropes at Voldemort. They caught him by his ankles and wrists, pulling him away from Rosmerta. Voldemort banished them quickly, but meanwhile Harry had enough time to cast a Shield Charm between Madam Rosmerta and Voldemort, forcing them apart. She was then safely pulled away by Aberforth and Mr Weasley. She was completely unharmed, but Voldemort still kept her wand and now he was fighting with two wands, one in each hand. With the Elder Wand he shot spells at where he thought Harry was standing beneath his Invisibility Cloak, and with Madam Rosmerta's he was attacking Snape.

Then something unexpected happened.

Voldemort managed to pinpoint Harry's location precisely enough and fired a curse at him. At the same time Harry shot his Expeliarmus. The spells collided in mid-air, and then suddenly Voldemort's spell rebounded off Harry's.

The Elder Wand spun high in the air and flew straight at Harry. Acting purely out of his Seeker's instinct, he threw off his Invisibility Cloak and reached out to catch the wand skilfully.

Voldemort barely had time to deflect his own curse hurling back at him with his other wand. He was thrown backwards, but he was otherwise unhurt.

An image flashed across Harry's mind.

_Snape had given Harry's wand back after he had disarmed him in the headmaster's office. He placed it on the table next to the Pensieve before Harry dived into his memories. Snape never beat him for real._

Harry panicked. He glanced at the Elder Wand in his hands.

_The Elder Wand was his; it had been his throughout the whole time though he thought it had became Snape's. _

If Voldemort managed to disarm him now, he would finally gain its allegiance. Harry was no fool; he knew perfectly well he wasn't a match for Voldemort, even with the Elder Wand.

"Potter! Give me the wand!" Snape beckoned him and woke him from the state of shock.

Harry stared at him, not knowing what to do. He wanted to give the wand to Snape, but he knew it wouldn't work if he gave it voluntarily.

_The wand chooses the wizard._

"If you want it, get it yourself!" he told Snape.

Snape's eyes hardened. "Potter! I don't have time for games! Give it to me!" he growled. He glanced at Voldemort who was still trying to recover from his own curse, and was meanwhile attacked by Flitwick and McGonagall.

Harry didn't move. Snape finally lost his nerves and strode towards Harry, lifting his wand.

"Expeliarmus!" he shouted and the Elder Wand flew out of Harry's hands into Snape's.

Snape was now finally truly the Elder Wand's master, though he didn't realize he gained its allegiance only a moment before. He turned around with his new weapon only to see that Voldemort rose in the air trying to avoid his attackers, possibly even trying to escape in panic. Snape rose in the air like a large bat, chasing after him.

It was the first time Voldemort saw his ex-servant fly the same way he did, without a broom.

"Where did you learn how to fly, you traitorous scum?" he cried in shock and rage.

"From you obviously," Snape retorted smartly.

"I've never shown you how it's done!" Voldemort spat.

"No. I figured it out by myself," Snape told him.

They wasted no more words and engaged in a furious combat high in the air beneath the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. Curses thundered in every direction, shaking the ancient building to its foundations. The two of them were a blur. It was impossible for anyone to assist Snape, but he didn't need assistance anymore.

Nobody could really tell what exactly happened, but suddenly Voldemort's blurred figure hit the ground with a sickening thud. The crowd nearby screamed and scattered around. Voldemort stirred and tried to stand up, but his leg was positioned at a very strange angle, and he had apparently lost Madam Rosmerta's wand.

Snape landed softly a few feet away from him and approached slowly.

Everybody knew what was about to happen. No one dared to breathe.

"Please. Have mercy," Voldemort begged pathetically.

Snape stopped right in front of him, looked down at the wizard at his feet and sneered contemptuously.

"That's for Lily!" Snape hissed and swung the Deathstick savagely. Harry recognized the curse instantly. He had learned it himself from the Half-blood Prince.

Voldemort's body twitched and deep gashes appeared all over it – his hands, his face, his torso, his throat. He screamed in terrible agony and collapsed back on the floor. His body was convulsing madly. Slowly his gurgling voice died out and he was left lying motionlessly in a dark puddle of blood.

Voldemort was gone.

Eerie silence still ruled in the hall. Everyone was just too shocked by the terrible way in which Voldemort's life had finally ended, to be able to cheer loudly.

Snape finally lifted his gaze from the gruesome scene. He slowly lowered the Deathstick and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. It was over.

It was like Snape's actions suddenly triggered an explosion in the Great Hall. Cheers finally echoed off the stone walls and people rushed to Snape and Harry, hugging the latter and awkwardly approaching the first to formally shake his hand or pat him on his back and shoulders. No one dared to invade his personal space until Mrs Weasley pulled him in a tight hug with tears welling from her eyes. After that Harry could only catch a glimpse of his tall dark figure in the crowd. Ron and Hermione didn't let him breathe, they were all over him, hugging and laughing and crying tears of happiness.

Then Ginny managed to push through the crowd.

The hug and the kiss made Harry forget where he was. He couldn't hear anything around him anymore. When they finally pulled apart, looked into each other's eyes and laughed, feeling immensely relieved, Harry realized that in fact, it really became unusually quiet around them.

The crowd was standing around Voldemort's corpse, murmuring quietly, mostly with expressions of revulsion and hatred on their faces.

"What do we do with it?" somebody asked a bit louder. This made even more people turn around and form a wide circle around the gruesome sight.

Harry and Ginny approached, too, hand in hand.

"Ew… " said Ginny at the sight of Voldemort's maimed corpse. Many turned around and walked away as they saw it, but she stayed put.

"Could somebody please get rid of it, I can't look at it…" murmured Mrs Weasley, who, Harry realized, was now standing close to Ginny. Mr Weasley was also standing right next to her and he put his arms around her in a comforting gesture.

A large figure, the largest one from the crowd, started to push its way towards the dead body. It was Hagrid.

"No worries, I'll take care of it, I know how ter handle beasts..." he announced. "An' I think I know just the righ' place where ter put him…" he murmured, his beard twitching in disgust. "The spiders seemed hungry..."

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><p><em>Should I continue? Convince me. Go.<em>


	12. Chapter 12: THE GREAT HALL

_I've decided to write one particular part from the previous chapter from Severus' perspective. You'll see why..._

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><p><em><em>THE GREAT HALL

_Suddenly a flash of green light hit him and he knew no more._

Severus was lying on his back. It was very quiet. He was quite sure he was all alone, but he didn't know how he knew that. He slowly opened his eyes.

Clouds? He blinked. No, they weren't clouds, it was just... whiteness. He looked around. Where was he? It was strange, it seemed to him as if he was inside and outside at the same time. He couldn't really tell, there was fog all around him anyway. Pure white mist.

He lifted his head slightly and realized he had no clothes. That didn't bother him much, but it intrigued him quite a bit. He quickly lifted himself in a sitting position. It was completely tranquil and quiet. No birds chirping, no insects buzzing, no wind howling. No nothing. Complete peacefulness.

He was all alone; for now. But what if someone came and saw him? The moment the thought formed in his head ne noticed clothes folded right next to him, though he could have sworn they weren't there before. They were his usual robes, his black uniform. He felt most comfortable in them. He stood up and put them on. As he straightened up and looked around he finally realized he was... in the Great Hall? Yet it wasn't quite the Great Hall, was it?

Then he remembered Voldemort's curse hitting him in this very hall just moments ago. No, this couldn't have been the Great Hall, it was much whiter, much cleaner, and completely empty.

He couldn't see very far. He strained his eyes and looked around. He could see something in the distance straight ahead of him. He didn't know how he knew it, but there was definitely somebody coming his way. There was no sound of footsteps though; the cloudy vapour out of which everything around him was made, seemed to have soak up all sounds, even the sound of his own breathing. Was he even breathing?

Slowly the silhouette of the person emerged out of the whiteness and came close enough for Severus to recognize the face that he could never forget.

Albus Dumbledore.

"Severus," the older man said in greeting and smiled, his piercing blue eyes twinkling happily, and his long beard whiter and neater than Severus had ever seen it.

Severus gaped at the former headmaster. How was this possible? He did not know what to respond.

"Walk with me," said Dumbledore. He turned around, his forget-me-not blue robes sweeping behind him with grace, and Severus followed him. Dumbledore casually crossed his hands behind his back and Severus could see that they were both whole and undamaged.

They walked out of the Great Hall into the Entrance Hall, their steps strangely muffled. Severus finally asked what he thought he already knew.

"Are we..."

"Dead? Well, depends how you look on it," said Dumbledore and stopped, looking thoughtfully at Severus. "I must say I didn't expect you here yet."

Severus didn't know what to reply.

"But I am pleased that you came for a visit a bit early," Dumbledore continued to speak. "You've saved me a lot of waiting. Though time is a funny thing here, and perhaps waiting isn't the right word for it..." mulled Dumbledore and he continued to stroll around the Entrance Hall.

"You've been... expecting me?" Severus asked in surprise when he finally managed to find his voice.

"Yes. Sooner or later everybody comes here anyway..." said the late headmaster simply.

"Where are we exactly?"

Dumbledore answered him with another question. "Where do you think we are?"

"Well, it looks like Hogwarts during summer holidays... Only much cleaner... and whiter," Severus slowly replied.

"Yes, indeed. Very interesting choice," Dumbledore said, looking around with a rather sad smile. "Though, when you think of it, not at all surprising."

Severus lifted his brows in question. "Choice?"

"Oh yes, this part is, like they say, _your_ party," said Dumbledore meaningfully.

"So... We're dead," Severus concluded.

Dumbledore shrugged and chuckled. "Well, one of us is."

Severus frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It means that you do not belong here, not yet," Dumbledore explained cryptically.

"But – _you're _dead."

"Oh yes, that I am," the late Headmaster confirmed nonchalantly.

"Then I'm dead, too," Severus concluded logically.

"No, I think not," said Dumbledore and smiled broadly.

They locked eyes, the old man still beaming.

"Not?" Severus asked again, not quite understanding.

"Not," Dumbledore repeated.

"But – how?"

"I think you already know," said Dumbledore, the corners of his mouth turning up.

Severus frowned again. He had been hit by the Killing Curse. How could he have survived it? No one but the Boy Who Lived had ever survived a Killing Curse... Suddenly he comprehended.

"Harry," he said.

They stopped in front of the tall white front door. Happiness radiated from Dumbledore as he turned to face Severus, nodding enthusiastically, a broad smile on his face. Severus had never seen the old man so utterly happy. His eyes were twinkling madly.

"Yes, Harry."

"But – the boy didn't exactly sacrifice himself to save me... How could it have worked? He didn't die, he lived – again..."

"His willingness to sacrifice himself was enough. Voldemort was unable to kill anyone after that. You are the living proof of that," Dumbledore explained.

Severus still couldn't quite grasp it. "But – what am I doing here if I'm alive?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I believe you're having a near-death experience. Happens when a man has been hit by the Killing Curse..."

Severus glared at Dumbledore, who chuckled good-naturedly. Suddenly his face became sombre. He slowly met his eyes.

"Forgive me, Severus," he whispered.

Severus suspected the man wasn't apologizing only for his little joke.

"What for?" he asked cautiously, because he had quite a good idea what Dumbledore had in mind.

Dumbledore sighed miserably.

"You know full well, Severus. I have used you. I have forced you into actions –"

"No. It was my choice, too," Severus said firmly.

"Still. I should not have made you make such choices. I have used you, you told me that yourself. I had no right. I mislead you, made you think that you were sending Harry to meet his end... I made you _kill _me, Severus." Dumbledore shook his head in shame.

"I came to you first. I was willing to give anything in return, you know that. The decision was mine only," he said and looked down. "_I_ made the Unbreakable Vow, Albus," said Severus, his voice rasp.

"If only there could have been another way... I am truly sorry," Dumbledore whispered.

Dumbledore's eyes were shining with tears. Severus had never seen the man cry. It almost felt improper that he was witnessing such an occurrence. But then again, he knew full well that there were things that made even the strongest men cry. He too once cried in front of Dumbledore.

"I do not blame you," Severus said quietly. "Not any more. I used to hate you. But I understand now. It was necessary. I forgive you, Albus, of course I do, you needn't ask."

Dumbledore smiled sadly, and Severus knew that the man was relieved.

"Thank you, Severus. Thank you for bringing peace to an old fool."

Severus noted a strange occurrence then. Dumbledore's robes slowly went from forget-me-not to pale blue, and then almost white.

"It is time for me to go," said the late Headmaster, his voice sounding oddly distant.

Severus lifted his gaze to meet Dumbledore's. "Go where?"

"On," said Dumbledore simply, and his robes became one with the surrounding cloudily vapour, pure white. The tall front door opened slowly and Dumbledore marched through it.

"Wait..." Severus said urgently and followed him down the stairs.

Dumbledore turned to him questioningly, but he didn't stop. "Yes?"

Severus looked around, but there wasn't much to see besides the omnipresent white mist. "Is this _real_?" he asked carefully as they were both descending the white stairs. "Or am I just dreaming?"

"Would you be asking yourself that question if you had been _just _dreaming?"

"That is not an answer," Severus said impatiently, but Dumbledore just smiled at him. Severus sighed in frustration. He wanted to know one more thing. He needed to know.

"You said that you've been expecting me. That sooner or later everybody comes here... Have you... met others? Have you met _her_?"

"I have not gone beyond yet, Severus," said Dumbledore, still avoiding a direct answer.

They reached the bottom of the stairs. A white carriage was waiting there, made out of the same material as all the surroundings. It was being pulled by a very strange animal. It almost looked like a Thestral, but it was pure white.

"Most curious," murmured Dumbledore, inspecting the creature with interest.

Severus wasn't interested in the strange creature, though. He needed to know one more thing.

"Will _I _ever meet her again?" he asked longingly.

Dumbledore turned from the white creature to face Severus again, his eyes twinkling sadly. "We all hope that someday we shall be reunited with our loved ones," he said, and Severus could sense a longing in his voice that he didn't quite understand. Or perhaps, in a way, he did...

"I must go now. Until we see each other again; farewell, Severus..." said Dumbledore, his voice sounding as if it was coming from the other end of a very long tunnel.

Before Severus could say goodbye, the door of the carriage opened for Dumbledore and strong light surged through it, hitting Severus' eyes and blinding him.

He was suddenly back in his sore body, and something warm was trickling over his lips. He moaned in pain and slowly opened his eyes.

People around him gasped and he could hear them exclaim, "He's alive!" "He survived!"

* * *

><p><em>Is this finally the end? Or do I have more in stock? <em>

_I just like teasing you... ;)_


	13. Chapter 13: HAGRID'S STORY

_Still some scenes left from Severus' perspective... And Severus will learn some things he didn't know about Hagrid... No, not those kind of things. What? Just saying... ;P_

* * *

><p><em><em>HAGRID'S STORY

Cheers finally echoed off the stone walls of the Great Hall. People rushed to choke the Boy Who Lived to death with their hugs. Luckily they only awkwardly approached Severus to formally shake his hand or pat him on his back and shoulders. No one dared to invade his personal space. Until Molly Weasley pulled him in a tight hug with tears welling from her eyes, thanking him for protecting her from Voldemort. He had never been hugged like that in his whole life, not even by his mother. It took the air out of his lungs.

The male hugs were even more awkward. Arthur was the first one right after Molly finally let him breathe.

"We had no idea, Severus," said Arthur after he released him and shook his head. "You and Dumbledore fooled us well."

Then there was the official Kingsley, with his strong pat on the back, saying something similar to Arthur. Severus suddenly became nervous that Hagrid might find him and literally crush his bones. He was still sore from the Killing Curse that knocked him out, even though Madam Pomfrey managed to patch him up with the help of another healer.

Then there was Minerva. At first they just stood in front of each other not knowing what to say.

Then she almost knocked him on the ground when she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug that was even more awkward than the first one he received from Molly.

After several embarrassing moments Minerva finally unlocked her grasp around him. Severus was now quite confident he'd survive Hagrid as well.

"How are you?" she inquired kindly.

"I'm fine," he retorted rigidly.

"Are you sure?"

"I said I'm fine," he grumbled.

"Back to your old self, I see," she said and smirked. "Just the way we like you," she added teasingly.

Severus glared at her. He though it successfully wiped the grin of Minerva's face, but there was another reason for that.

"I believe I owe you an apology," Minerva said sombrely.

"There is no need for that..." he murmured.

"But there is. I tried to kill you several times tonight. I got very close in succeeding it. I am not proud of it. I could not forgive myself if you were killed by my hand and I regret I ever tried it."

Severus was at a loss for words, so he simply nodded briefly in acknowledgement. This was the second apology he had received lately. Though he wasn't quite sure that the whole thing with Dumbledore really happened... He remembered it vividly, but that didn't mean it was real. It couldn't have been real, could it? Something like that couldn't possibly happen to him. He must have been hallucinating.

He lifted his gaze to meet Minerva's eyes again. He most definitely wasn't hallucinating this.

"For what it's worth, I really disliked having you as an enemy," he said roughly.

"And I am incredibly grateful that we have you on our side," she murmured and glanced at Voldemort's body.

Severus also turned his head towards it. Only now he realized that everybody saw how he killed Voldemort, and he suddenly didn't feel at ease. He shouldn't have lost control like that. It was Severus' job to prevent more people from dying, and he wasn't sorry he killed him. Voldemort deserved to die as much as everybody who died unnecessarily because of him deserved to live. It even felt good... Perhaps he just shouldn't have taken revenge in his own hands in front of everybody. Not all were accustomed to seeing such gruesome sights.

The crowd was standing around Voldemort's corpse, murmuring quietly, mostly with expressions of revulsion and hatred on their faces.

"What do we do with it?" somebody asked a bit louder. This made even more people turn around and form a wide circle around the corpse.

"Could somebody please get rid of it, I can't look at it…" murmured Molly. Arthur was standing right next to her and he put his arms around her in a comforting gesture.

A large figure, the largest one from the crowd, started to push its way towards the dead body. It was Hagrid.

"No worries, I'll take care of it, I know how ter handle beasts..." he announced. "An' I think I know just the righ' place where ter put him…" he murmured, his beard twitching in disgust. "The spiders seemed hungry..."

Hagrid bent down, but even he was reluctant to touch the body lying in a pool of blood.

Minerva quickly rushed forward and conjured a large grey sheet, vanished the blood with a swift flick of her wand, and with another she wrapped the fabric tightly around the corpse. Hagrid was most grateful for that.

"Thanks, I really didn' fancy gettin' his blood all over meself..." he murmured and threw the body over his left shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The crowd parted as he headed for the exit.

"Hagrid!" Potter suddenly raised his voice. "Are you sure it's safe? The spiders..."

"Don' worry Harry. They wouldn' hurt me, not even with Aragog gone. Acromantulas are faithful creatures... Seriously misunderstood... They wouldn' go against his wishes..." the half-giant told the boy.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" the boy asked him once again.

"Nah, I'll be alright. Besides, yeh really don' wanna see how the spiders eat..."

"I'll go," said Severus, and even though he didn't say it loudly, everybody turned to him.

"Nah, really, I..." Hagrid tried to object.

"It's not safe Hagrid, and you know it. The Acromantulas are upset, they've just been forced to participate in a battle, and quite a number of them died. They might not be particularly friendly towards wizards right now. ANY wizard," he emphasised. He also felt responsible for disposing the corpse, since he was the one who killed Voldemort. He felt he should also be the one to dispose of it.

Hagrid nodded slowly. "Yeah, yer right."

"I'm coming, too," Potter declared.

"I think not," said Severus.

The boy glared at him. "I want to come," he said defiantly.

"Haven't you heard a word I said?" Severus snapped at the stupid boy. "_The Boy-Who- Lived eaten by the Acromantulas while trying to feed them Voldemort's corpse_. A nice headline, don't you think? That's all we need right now! So do us all a favour and stay here, Potter. Entertain the crowd," Severus growled impatiently.

"There's nothing in that forest that I haven't met yet," the boy argued in a surprisingly calm manner.

"Harry, just stay here, please," said young Miss Weasley suddenly, and obviously she instantly convinced Potter to stay.

"Alright, I'll stay," the boy agreed, but he still glanced worriedly at Hagrid and lastly at Severus, who quickly looked away and strode wordlessly towards the half-giant to finish the final act. Thankfully nobody else was keen in joining them.

They went into the Entrance Hall and down the front steps. Again, Severus was vividly reminded of the strange meeting with Dumbledore when they descended down the same stairs. _No, they weren't the same, that wasn't even real, _Severus had to remind himself.

As they reached the bottom of the steps they came to a halt right next to Nagini's corpse. They looked at each other in understanding. The spiders would be most pleased to see the snake dead. Hagrid picked up the snake's body and swung it over his broad shoulders.

"Don't touch the head," Severus warned him as Hagrid tried to pick it up, too. "It might still be poisonous."

He conjured a piece of cloth and carefully wrapped the severed head into a bundle. It was slightly unnerving, for he well remembered the impatient droplets of venom shining on the snake's fangs as it had lashed at him, wanting to finish him off as per her master's orders just a few hours before.

He stood up, the bundle with the snake's head in one hand, the Elder Wand in the other, and silently marched with Hagrid past Death Eater corpses that littered the lawn in front of the castle. Centaurs' arrows were sticking out of ground everywhere, and Severus had to be careful to avoid them, while Hagrid simply strode over and crushed them with his enormous feet.

Silently they progressed to the edge of the forest, and then on, deeper and deeper into the trees. Severus was already familiar with the path. They were heading to the Acromantulas' den, the same place where Voldemort tried to kill Harry for the second time, and the same place where Voldemort tried to set his pet snake on Severus.

After several minutes they finally arrived at the clearing.

It was eerily quiet. No sign of any Acromantula. Only a small streak of smoke wound its way up towards the treetops, the last remnant of the fire in the middle of the clearing. Hagrid strode to it and deposited Nagini's and Voldmeort's corpse on the ground right next to the site of fire. He sighed and looked at what was left of the dark wizard with contempt. Severus threw the bundle with the head next to it.

"If only Aragog was here ter see this..." the half-giant murmured.

Severus suspected Aragog must have been one of Hagrid's beloved monsters, and was soon proven right.

"He was my first Acromantula," Hagrid explained. "Got him when he was jus' an egg," Hagrid murmured fondly.

_Ah, so that explains what Acromantulas were doing in the Forbidden Forest in the first place,_ thought Severus.

Then Hagrid's face became sombre. "I was in my third year. I kept him in a wooden crate in a well hidden place. But somehow, _Tom_ found out." Hagrid shook his head and looked down at the body wrapped into grey sheets.

"You _knew_ him?" Severus asked in surprise. He didn't know much about Hagrid, he realized that just now. He only knew what was obvious, that he was a half-giant, that he was expelled from Hogwarts, and that Dumbledore allowed him to stay as a gamekeeper. He had no idea that Hagrid knew Voldemort from before, when he was still called Tom Riddle.

Hagrid nodded. "Yeah. I knew him alright. He accused Aragog of being a monster!" he exclaimed in indignation, as if it was the most outrageous thing in the world. "Claimed I released him from the Chamber of Secrets. What a load of dragon dung! He was the one that opened it, and set the basilisk on that poor girl. I tried ter explain that Aragog couldn't have hurt her, but nobody wanted ter listen. Obviously everybody believed _him_, he was a Head Boy. So I was expelled, and my wand was snapped in two," said Hagrid, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably.

"I... didn't know that," said Severus awkwardly.

"Yeah, well... It would've been great if Aragog could see this..." Hagrid murmured into his beard again.

They waited for a little while longer, but there was still no sign of any Acromantula.

"D' you recon we should just leave it here?" asked Hagrid.

"I'd rather see the body destroyed. You never know who might find the remains useful..." Severus said softly.

Hagrid nodded. "The spiders probably wouldn' find it tasty anyway," he said, sounding slightly disappointed.

And so Severus swung at the air with the Elder Wand and bright flames erupted all around the empty shells of Voldemort and his pet snake, devouring them both hungrily.

Hagrid and Severus stared at it, and soon their nostrils were full of the smell of burning flesh.

For a second Severus thought that this couldn't be happening. It was all just too surreal. Then his thoughts drifted to something else; the Elder Wand that finally brought about Voldemort's demise, and even burned his corpse. The Wand that now belonged to Severus.

The Elder Wand justified its reputation during the battle. At times it seemed to Severus that the wand had been guiding him, not the other way around. He did not particularly like that feeling. He always liked being in control. But he was most grateful that he had had this formidable ally in his hands. Voldemort had picked the short straw. The wand he had taken from Rosmerta had obviously refused to work properly for him. Severus suspected that it must have been one of those wands that remained loyal to their first owners and refused to perform to their full potential in a stranger's hand. Voldemort had had to put special effort into coaxing magic out of the wand, and it had cost him dearly.

The corpse was now nearly incinerated. The magical flames slowly abated, and only a small trace of ashes remained on the forest floor. Voldemort was now truly completely gone.

They stared at the site of fire for a while. Then Hagrid sighed heavily, and Severus interpreted it as a sigh of relief. He felt the same. After all those years it was finally over.

Hagrid turned and walked away without looking back, and Severus followed his example. This time they strode side by side, at least as much as the narrow path enabled them to do so. He was tired, and so was Hagrid, but he felt light as a feather at the same time; the enormous burden was lifted off his shoulders. From now on, his only worry would be dunderheads prone to mixing volatile potion ingredients and melting cauldrons. That is, if he was ever to teach Potions again. Perhaps he could teach DADA. Did he even want any of that? He would resign as the headmaster; at least he was decided about that, because he knew he didn't really deserve the position. He could just go travelling around the world. He'd never gone anywhere.

Suddenly Hagrid stopped, and at first Severus thought he must have spotted something, perhaps a stray Acromantula, but then Hagrid spoke softly.

"Yeh know, when Harry told me yeh... _killed..._ Dumbledore, I couldn' believe it at first. I thought, nah, not Professor Snape, he wouldn'. I always knew Dumbledore trusted yeh with a reason. I'm glad I was proven right."

What was he supposed to say back? Should he thank him? Again he resorted to nodding mutely; it seemed to have worked before...

"He was a great man, Dumbledore," said Hagrid sadly.

"Yes, he was," Severus agreed. Again he was vividly remembered of his strange encounter with the late Headmaster, of how Dumbledore's robes turned pure white in his dream, or vision, or whatever that was, and wondered what it might have meant.

"I can't imagine how it must have been for yeh... Havin' to do it..." Hagrid murmured. "I guess you need special kind of courage ter do what is necessary..."

This time another vivid memory flashed across Severus' mind, along with a blinding flash of green light. It was still painful to be reminded of it, and Hagrid must have surmised that he had said the wrong thing, because he kept quiet then on.

They marched all the way back in silence again. It was still dark under the canopies, though the tops of trees were being bathed in golden morning light. The air was crisp and calm, full of that typical smell of the forest. Birds were chirping their morning songs all around them.

They emerged out of the forest. Hogwarts castle lay before them in the morning sun, demolished from the furious battle. It was difficult to watch, but Severus knew that eventually it would be rebuilt to its former glory.

As they approached they heard strange noises coming from the castle.

"Gulping gargoyles is that Grawp?" said Hagrid and pointed at the part of the vast stone building where the Great Hall was located. Hagrid's half-brother was sticking his head through one of the demolished windows, his thunderous laughter echoing all around the castle. Judging by his cheerful mood and the way he moved around his enormous yaw, he must have gotten something to eat from the inside.

"Hey, I think they started with breakfast without us!" Hagrid exclaimed, sounding mildly outraged. "Best ter hurry up, or Grawp will swallow everything from forks, knives 'n' spoons to tables 'n' chairs!" he said and started striding up to the castle more lively.

Severus stopped and breathed in deeply. Life was back to normal.


	14. Chapter 14: THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

_Here it is. The long-awaited conversation..._

* * *

><p>THE DEATHLY HALLOWS<p>

"HAGGER!"

At the thunderous yell Harry turned around and saw Hagrid enter the Great Hall, waving happily at his half-brother; Snape was nowhere to be seen yet. Everybody turned around and gazed at the half-giant expectantly.

"There were no spiders," Hagrid told everyone loudly, his shoulders sagging in visible disappointment. "So Professor Snape burned the corpse. 'S gone. The snake too, we took it and burn' 'em both."

There were approving murmurs all around the tables.

"So, anythin' left fer me ter eat?" the half-giant asked more lively and clasped his hands together with a loud clap. People turned around, focusing their attention back on each other and on the food in front of them. Harry, though, kept his gaze, waiting for Snape to arrive. Sure enough the tall man appeared at the entrance to the Great Hall, unsure whether he should enter and join the festivities or not. He decided not to and turned around.

Harry felt strangely sorry for the dark man, so he stood up and hurried to catch up with him, not really knowing why he was doing it. Some people turned their heads to see where he was going, but they didn't try to stop him.

"Professor Snape," Harry called after him. The man turned around, an unreadable expression on his face. When he got closer Harry realized that he didn't really know what to say.

"Er..." he said awkwardly, his fingernails digging nervously into his palms. Snape didn't say anything; he simply waited for Harry to speak.

"We need to talk, Sir," Harry said finally. He would figure out eventually what exactly he wanted to say to the man. The only thing he knew was that he needed to talk about what had happened, and what to do next. It felt like the right thing to do. All the twists and turns, painful losses, unexpected outcomes, and finally his archenemy's demise, have left him exhausted, but also restless. There were things left to do, and he needed closure before he could move on.

Snape nodded. "The headmaster's office," he said stiffly and turned towards the marble staircase.

"Sir, I would like Ron and Hermione to be there, too," Harry called after him, deciding that his two best friends, who have endured so much with him, deserved to be included into this final act, too. Besides, he still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of talking to Snape all alone, face to face, despite of what he had learned of him – or perhaps precisely because of it.

Snape turned his head and nodded in acknowledgement, but he didn't stop to wait for them.

Harry re-entered the Great Hall to find his friends. They had some troubles getting out; people kept shouting over the noise, asking them where they were going. Eventually they managed to disentangle themselves from the crowd and head to the office.

"So, what's up, Harry?" Ron asked as they finally got out and started to climb the marble staircase.

"We need to talk," said Harry simply.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You said that already. What about?"

Harry shrugged. "Everything, I guess. The Horcruxes, how I survived, the Deathly Hallows. Since Snape has the Elder Wand now, we need to talk to him and to Dumbledore's portrait about what to do next," he said.

Ron paled. "We're going to talk to Snape? Is he... waiting for us?"

"Ron, he's on our side, he's always been," said Hermione reproachfully.

"Yeah, but-"

"But what?" Harry asked. Ron didn't respond. "What?" Harry pressed on.

"Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"About Snape."

Harry frowned. "Hear what about Snape?"

"What people were saying about him, after he left with Hagrid..." said Ron, avoiding a direct answer again.

Harry stopped in the middle of a staircase. He didn't remember hearing anything particularly strange being said about Snape. "What were they saying?" he asked, an unpleasant taste rising from his stomach.

"Well, some are saying that he's even worse than Voldemort," Ron told him.

"That's a load of rubbish!" Harry protested. He couldn't believe people would doubt Snape just minutes after he'd saved them all from Voldemort.

"Well, can you blame them? You saw how he finished him off," Ron said apologetically. "And some were really terrified by the fact that he survived the Killing Curse, saying that he must know some really Dark stuff-"

"He survived because I was willing to die to stop Voldemort!" Harry exclaimed indignantly. "Just like I survived because my mother died for me! He didn't survive because of some Dark Magic, he's nothing like Voldemort, he wouldn't do what he did!"

"We know, Harry," said Hermione reassuringly.

"No, we don't know," Ron objected.

"Ron-"

"What? I'm just saying, we don't know Snape at all, if he managed to fool You-Know-Who-"

"Voldemort's dead, you can say his name now!" Harry cut it angrily.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard," Ron murmured and looked at his feet.

They remained unpleasantly silent until they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office, the word 'die' accompanying them the whole time. The faces of the people they've lost were still freshly carved into their minds.

When they stopped beside the hidden entrance Harry turned around to face his friends.

"Listen, I've seen Snape's memories," he told Ron and Hermione "He's practically shown me his whole life to convince me that he was on our side all along. I've seen my mother in his memories," he said awkwardly. Ron and Hermione lifted their heads in interest.

"Are you sure the memories were real? It's just – well, it's _Snape_, mate..." said Ron.

"I'm positive. The memories were definitely real. And I've seen his Patronus; we both did actually, don't you remember?"

"Where? When?" Ron asked in confusion.

"When we got the sword. The doe was Snape's Patronus," Harry reminded Ron.

"Yeah, Harry, and it almost got you killed! If it weren't for me-"

"Look, I really don't want to argue about this right now," Harry raised his voice. "I trust Snape, alright? I trust him like I trusted Dumbledore. He wouldn't turn Dark."

"Harry, he kind of is Dark already," said Hermione quietly.

"You can't possibly believe-"

"I don't," Hermione said firmly. "But you have to admit it; he'd always shown an affinity for the Dark Arts. He's the Half-Blood Prince, remember?"

Harry's eyes suddenly widened. "His book! I hid it in the Room of Requirement, and now it's gone!"

"Perhaps that's a good thing," said Hermione gently. "And maybe we shouldn't mention it further; it might get him into trouble."

"Why?"

"Imagine what could happen if that book came into the wrong hands."

"It's not that dangerous, I've read the whole thing!" Harry said dismissively. "What could possibly happen if someone found it?"

"It could've been used as a proof of his affinity for the Dark Arts," Hermione told him seriously.

"You don't think he'd be treated as a criminal, do you? He's the bloody hero, Hermione! He was the one who finished off Voldemort in grand style!"

"I don't know, Harry," she said gravely. "People might be simply scared of him and his powers. And we all know that fear can make people do completely irrational things."

Harry sighed tiredly and took off his glasses to rub his eyes.

"There's no need to worry over something that might never happen, right?" he said and smiled hopefully.

"I'm sure it won't come to it. Like you said, he's the hero now," said Hermione and smiled back.

"Well, hero or not, I still don't like him much," grumbled Ron. "So let's just do this quickly," he said and turned to the gargoyle.

"Do you know the-"

"Dumbledore," said Harry and the gargoyle stepped aside.

"That was his password?" Ron murmured in surprise.

The moving staircase quickly delivered them to the familiar office. The door was slightly open, and when they pushed it aside, they saw Snape seated behind the large desk with the Pensieve in front of him. It had just been emptied, the memories he'd extracted for Harry to see placed back where they belonged.

Three chairs were already waiting for them in front of the familiar broad desk. All the portraits were now occupied, and each painted eye was looking at them in apprehension. They sat down quietly whilst Snape pushed the Pensieve aside.

They stared at each other in awkward silence until Snape spoke up.

"I was under the impression that you needed to speak with me, Mr Potter."

"Er – yes," Harry said awkwardly. "I don't know where to start," he added and sighed. "It's been an eventful night."

"That is an understatement."

"Quite." Harry smirked.

"Perhaps you could start with explaining how you survived the Killing Curse again, and why you thought it wise to pretend you'd died." Snape's face was unreadable when Harry looked at him, but it sounded like an accusation.

"What else was I supposed to do? If Voldemort tried to kill me again, he would have succeeded. I needed to let him think he had beaten me. The element of surprise, remember?" he said defensively. "It was difficult for me, too. All that time I wanted to jump up and shout that I was alright," said Harry quietly. "I'm sorry I made you all think I was dead. I realize I hurt a lot of people, but it was the only way," he said sincerely, glancing at his two faithful friends.

"Why did you go looking for Voldemort without telling us in the first place?" asked Ron, sounding slightly hurt.

Harry found it difficult to respond. Bu he took a deep breath and told his friends everything, starting from when he left them in the Great Hall after Voldemort's ultimatum, and how he encountered Snape in the Headmaster's office, and finally how he survived. He carefully avoided mentioning that he'd met his parents, Sirius and Lupin, and lastly Dumbledore. He felt it unwise to announce that he'd seen and talked to dead people; after all, that wasn't exactly a common occurrence.

"I was given a choice to either... go _on_, or return," was all Harry told them, and he could have sworn then that for a moment he saw a strange mixture of shock and realization in Snape's eyes, but he couldn't quite place it. "I was still tied to life because Voldemort used my blood to create himself a new body, thinking it would make him stronger, but he only preserved my mother's protection. I told him that he was wrong; you all heard it in the Great Hall."

"Yes, you told us all quite a few things then. Some things, even, that weren't yours to tell." Snape's voice carried a sharp edge now. Harry opened his mouth and closed them again.

"I was just – you gave me the memories yourself," he said in defence.

"When I gave you permission to see it, I thought you'd take it all to your grave!" Snape hissed dangerously through clenched teeth.

"Hey! You better not be saying you'd prefer to see Harry dead!" Ron yelled threateningly.

"Despite what you think of me, Mr Weasley, I don't particularly like seeing people getting killed."

"You seemed to enjoy killing You-Know-Who!"

"That I did. But he hardly fitted into the 'people' category," Snape growled.

"Fine. Point taken," Ron said and crossed his long arms in front of him.

"I don't see what the problem is," said Harry heatedly. "You should be satisfied that Voldemort died knowing the whole truth. Why are you still so secretive about it anyway?"

"It is a _personal _matter, Potter!" Snape spat, and his face became an ugly grimace. "You had no right to-"

"There are more important things in this world than your _personal matters_! We've just won the war! You killed Voldemort! People have died, children have lost their parents and parents have lost their children-"

"I realize that, but still, it should be me and my decision! You had no right to expose my secrets in front of everyone!"

Harry suddenly lost his nerve and jumped to his feet. "Is that all she is to you? A dirty little secret you're ashamed of?"

"How dare you!" Snape hissed, his hand twitching over the Elder Wand, but he didn't pick it up and he remained seated.

"No, how dare you!" Harry yelled back. "How dare you be afraid of being laughed at because you loved her? After all you've done? I thought you were braver than that," he said sharply.

"I couldn't care less what people think of me because of it!"

"Then I don't see what the problem is!" Harry yelled.

Snape held his lips tightly pressed together, and for first time he didn't have anything to retort. Or perhaps he simply decided not to say anything; Harry couldn't really tell, it was difficult to decipher what was on Snape's mind at the best of times.

The dark man didn't look at any of them either. He stubbornly stared at the Pensieve and said nothing, and Harry noticed that his hands were trembling slightly.

Harry sat back in his chair, his anger slowly cooling down. Hermione and Ron glanced at him sideways, but they didn't dare to utter a single word.

"I have a request," said Harry stiffly to break the unpleasant silence and change the topic. He pulled his moleskin pouch off his neck. It was an idea that suddenly came to his mind, and he grabbed it as a way out of the awkward and unpleasant situation. He turned the pouch around and dropped the content on the desk; his broken holy wand, the golden Snitch, half of a picture and half of his mother's letter. Snape stared at it, a deep frown still etched on his face. He pulled something out of his own pockets.

Harry gasped silently as Snape placed the missing half of the picture with Lily's smiling face next to Harry and James' half.

"You can have it – I have a whole album," Harry said hurriedly, because that wasn't what he was after.

"No," Snape said softly. "She belongs with you." He touched the two pieces with the tip of the Elder Wand and repaired it. "I have enough memories," he added quietly, pushed the photo away and stared absentmindedly into the empty basin of the Pensieve, his face unreadable.

The unspoken hung in the air thickly. Harry had no memories of his mother, aside from the piercing scream and the green flash of light.

"Thank you," Harry said quietly and took the picture of his family gently in his hands. "But I've been meaning to ask you something else," he said softly. "Could you... try fixing my wand?"

Snape's look slid over the broken piece of wood. "It's impossible to repair broken wands," he said dismissively.

"I know, but with the Elder Wand... You could at least try," he said hopefully. "I don't have a wand anymore. I gave Draco's wand to his mother, and then I found Neville's wand, after Voldemort disarmed him and threw it away. I returned it to him in the Great Hall," he explained. "So now the only wand I've got is this one."

Snape stared at it and nodded slowly. He took the two pieces of Harry's wand carefully in his hands, placing them in a perfect position on the desk in front of him. He touched the broken wand with the tip of the Elder Wand and whispered, "Reparo."

Harry's wand miraculously resealed, and red sparks flew out of its end. Harry knew that Snape had succeeded.

"It worked!" Ron remarked in disbelief, gazing at the Elder Wand with admiration.

"Obviously," said Snape, but there was a trace of awe in his voice, too.

Harry picked up his holly and phoenix wand with a big smile, feeling the familiar warmth in his fingers, as though his hand was rejoicing at the touch of its long lost half that had been revived from the dead.

_Revived from the dead..._ That reminded him... The Resurrection Stone.

Harry stared distractedly at his moleskin pouch. It was supposed to be inside; he distinctly remembered placing it into the pouch together with his broken wand after he'd shown it to Voldemort, moments before he thought he'd die.

He turned the pouch inside out, and something small and black clinkered over the desk.

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><p><em>Or dear, do we see trouble ahead again? ;)<em>


	15. Chapter 15: THE CURSED RING

_I am very sorry for the late update. I have been working on my other story Someone Else. You are welcome to check it out. It's not as popular as this story, though… I don't know why, because I put a lot more energy into it, and it is much more detailed. Perhaps that is the problem – too many details? I should know by now that sometimes less is more…_

_Oh well, I'll let you get on with it. Try to enjoy and please leave some comments in the end!_

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><p><em><em>THE CURSED RING

They all stared at it as the piece of jewellery rolled around its axis and finally stood still in the middle of the desk.

"The cursed ring... Where did you get that?" Severus asked in awe.

"It was inside the Snitch which Dumbledore left me in his will," said Potter, glancing sideways at his friends. "_I open at the close," _he said to them meaningfully. Severus could see in their eyes that they instantly understood.

The Granger girl gasped. "Harry, you didn't use it, did you?"

"I did. But it was alright. I thought I was going to die. I thought I'd join them soon," he whispered.

"Join who? What is this ring? What does it do?" Severus asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's the Res..."

"Ron!"

"What?" the young Weasley asked in confusion, but then he finally caught on and firmly closed his mouth.

"What does this ring do?" Severus asked firmly again, piercing them all with his stare. He already had a suspicion about what it could be, but he needed a confirmation.

"Trust us, Sir. It's best if you don't know," said Granger.

"I'll be the judge of that," he retorted stiffly, wondering what they were hiding from him.

"Please, Sir," said Potter almost pleadingly, which unnerved Severus greatly. "Trust us. It really is best if you don't know. It should be destroyed. Which brings us to the next question. The Deathly Hallows."

"The what?" Severus asked.

"The Cloak," said Potter and pulled his Invisibility Cloak from under his robes, "the Ring," he said and placed the ring on top of it, "and the Elder Wand," he said and pointed at the wand in Severus' hands.

Severus stared at the wand for a while, and then slowly placed it next to the ring.

"The Deathly Hallows," he whispered. "And what are these supposed to be for? No, don't tell me," he said, raising his hand stiffly, "It's best if I don't know, right?"

Potter shook his messy head. "No, I think you should know the truth about them. Could you tell us the story again, Hermione? You know it best," Potter requested. They all turned their heads to her; even the portraits on the walls.

"Alright," she agreed. "Dumbledore left me a book in his will; an old book of children's tales by Beedle the Bard, written in runes. I didn't know why he would leave me such book at first, but then I managed to decipher one of the stories inside. It was the Tale of the Three Brothers. The Deathly Hallows in the story are three highly powerful magical objects supposedly created by Death and given to each of three brothers. It's only a wizard fairy tale, but some thought that at least one of the Hallows was real…"

"The Deathstick," said Snape and his eyes lingered on the piece of wood that almost brought about his own death.

"Yes," she confirmed. She told them that Death himself supposedly fashioned out the wand of an elder tree. "According to the story, both the owner of the Wand and the owner of the Stone came to bad ends. However, the youngest brother's wisdom in requesting the Cloak was rewarded."

Severus wasn't familiar with the story. He never had much affinity for children's books and tales anyway, and neither did his mother, much less his father.

"Supposedly, he who possesses these three artefacts would become the Master of Death," said Miss Granger, and Severus now narrowed his eyes with interest. "Of course the story greatly exaggerates. We think the three brothers from the story were real, though. We think they were the Peverell brothers who lived in Godric's Hollow and were simply talented individuals who managed to create very powerful magical artefacts." With that Miss Granger concluded the brief summary.

Severus tore his gaze from the Deathly Hallows. "And you know all of this how?"

"We figured it out eventually. Dumbledore left us clues," Potter told him. "And we found the grave of Ignotus Peverell at the Godric's Hollow, with the symbol of the Hallows."

"What symbol?"

Potter leaned forward and requested a quill and a parchment. He drew a triangular symbol with an inscribed circle and a line which divided it in two and explained the meaning of it.

"So what do you think we should do with them?" Weasley asked when Potter finished his explanation.

"Well, I intend to keep the Cloak. It's my family's heirloom," said Potter.

"A typical Potter," Severus murmured under his breath, but the boy chose to ignore it.

"What about the Wand and the Ring?" the young Weasley asked.

All three of them stared at Severus expectantly. The main question was of course, what _he _will do with the Elder Wand. He hadn't considered it until now, actually.

He looked at the wand with hungry eyes. Should he keep it? It was extremely powerful; there was no doubt about that. He could do great things with it.

Why shouldn't he keep it? It was his, he gained it's allegiance from Potter himself. It was rightfully his. He killed its previous owner, Albus Dumbledore. It seemed as if the Fate had brought the wand into his hands.

But this was also the wand that almost got him killed twice. Besides, he felt unworthy to hold the Wand and sit in Dumbledore's place. He knew he could never reach the man's greatness.

There was also one other weak point in this arrangement. Everybody knew he now possessed the Elder Wand. He made that abundantly clear in the Great Hall. He was sure someone would - sooner or later - try to get his hands on the legendary Wand of Destiny.

"I think you should keep it. Dumbledore wanted you to have it," Weasley suddenly openly declared his opinion since Severus hadn't said anything yet.

"No. Dumbledore never intended me to have the Elder Wand. He only wanted Voldemort to believe that."

"Oh…" said Weasley and his big ears turned bright red.

"Yes, that was the plan," Dumbledore's portrait confessed. "I am sorry, Severus. I couldn't tell you about the Elder Wand. It was too dangerous to place such knowledge so close to Voldemort. I hoped you would figure out by yourself when it wasn't safe anymore, and reveal your true allegiance. Voldemort would realize the Elder Wand was permanently out of his reach, but by then he'd want to kill you anyhow. Either way, you would find yourself in mortal danger."

"Well, your plan almost went horribly wrong. I got the Elder Wand from Potter, and if he hadn't come in time to offer his neck to Voldemort, he would have effectively finished me off and gained the Wand's allegiance."

"Erm… Actually…" Potter said in a suspiciously small voice and shrunk in his chair. Severus turned around and glared at him.

"Actually what?" he demanded.

"Um… Do you remember giving my wand back to me after you first disarmed me in this office? Well, apparently that meant that you hadn't really defeated me…" the boy murmured.

Severus' head began to swim. "So this whole time the wand hadn't been mine at all?" he asked disbelievingly. That simply wasn't possible, because he felt he could command it.

"No, it's yours now. Apparently it worked the second time you disarmed me."

Severus now remembered how Potter was able to disarm Voldemort during the battle in the Great Hall and understood his strange behaviour when he seemed reluctant to hand him the Elder Wand freely. Severus had to gain it first.

"I didn't know it either until the wand flew into my hands," the boy said apologetically.

"Of course you didn't. Why else would you bother saving my life?" Severus retorted sarcastically. The boy wouldn't have been able to muster enough determination if only Severus' life was at stake, he was certain of it.

"I would have done it either way!" the boy exclaimed indignantly.

"Even if I hadn't shown you my memories yet?"

The boy looked down uneasily. "Er… no, in that case probably not, but can you blame me? Besides, why haven't you tried to do anything about it? You could have at least tried to defend yourself," said the boy accusingly.

Severus was dumbstruck. Why would the boy care about what happened to him? They had never been on friendly terms. He guessed the boy simply had high and steadfast moral principles – he was much like Lily in that regard. Or perhaps he developed some strange affinity for him, probably connected with pity, since he showed him his most private memories that included the boy's mother. He'd have to shake that idea out of the boy.

"Would you care to explain what exactly Harry meant by that, Severus?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.

Severus sighed. He really didn't want to be reminded of all the events in the Forbidden Forest, but Potter intervened instead of him. "Voldemort set Nagini on him to get the Elder Wand. It would have been a very gruesome and painful way to die."

Dumbledore looked at Severus with sympathy and guilt. "I'm sorry I had put you in mortal danger, Severus. I know you are a brilliant wizard, I just didn't realize how little you value your own life, and how much you were willing to sacrifice."

"I'm alive and well, while both Voldemort and Nagini have been rendered to dust, so stop being so damn sentimental about it," Severus growled impatiently. He felt uneasy being so exposed in front of them and being reminded of the recent events, so he chose to quickly change the topic. "I need to decide what to do with this wretched wand," he said and grabbed it.

He stared at the Elder Wand in his hands and suddenly the choice was clear. He had to overcome his weaknesses and be a better man. Once more he had to be brave and do what was right.

Severus turned sideways to look at the late Headmaster's portrait. "I think the wand should be returned to its rightful owner, together with the ring that had sealed his fate."

Dumbledore's face split into a smile.

"You are a far better man than I had ever been, Severus," he said, his eyes glistening strangely. "And far braver, too."

Severus stared at the painting mesmerized. He had learned over time that there were different kinds of bravery. The easiest was when you had to stand up to your enemies; stupid Gryffindor bravado was a fine example of it. It was much harder to sand up to your friends. But the hardest was when you had to stand up to yourself, conquer your own fears and desires, and do what is right not what is easy.

It was the first time Severus realized just how brave he had been, and it felt incredibly good when Dumbledore had pointed it out.

The late Headmaster looked over each of their faces tenderly.

"You have _all_ been so brave," he said softly. "I am sorry I had to make it so difficult for all of you. I must admit I did not trust you with the knowledge of the Deathly Hallows because I was afraid you would act as I have acted in my youth. I had been foolish then, and very selfish. I should've had more faith in you all. Please forgive me."

The old wizard smiled sadly. They all contemplated his words in silence for a while. There was no need to say anything out loud; it was all written in their eyes.

Severus slowly tore his eyes from the portrait and picked up the Wand and the Ring.

"I'm going to place this into Dumbledore's tomb," he said and stood up.

"I'd like to accompany you," said Potter and Severus couldn't deny him that.

"Are you sure about this?" the Weasley boy asked. "I mean – just think of all the things you could do with that wand," he said, looking hungrily at the piece of wood in Severus' hands.

"I am very sure," Severus said firmly and quickly put both the ring and the wand out of sight into one of his deeper pockets.

"I think it's the right thing to do, too," said Miss Granger, always being the voice of reason.

"I agree," said Potter and nodded.

"But- Dumbledore had it all this time! Why couldn't you-"

"He could have it because no one knew it was the Elder Wand," Miss Granger explained. "Don't you remember what happened to the first brother from the story? The Elder Wand has a bloody history, Ron."

"Aright, fine. I guess you're right," the redhead finally agreed.

"Are you two coming too?" Potter asked his two friends.

"No, I think you should do this without us," said Miss Granger and her eyes trailed meaningfully from Potter to Severus and back again.

Severus didn't care either way. He simply wanted to be over with it as soon as possible and then have a nice long rest. He felt exhausted. He also needed medical attention. His leg was still painful where the arrow hit him, and when he started to descend the staircase the dull pain changed into burning stings.

He limped downstairs while Potter was slowly trailing behind him. He didn't bother to turn around to check whether the boy was following him; he could hear his steps. When they descended the marble staircase to the Entrance Hall, Potter hurried forward to walk beside Severus.

"Is your leg alright?" the boy asked him nosily.

"Well, what does it look like?" he spat back irritably.

"Will you manage or should we first find Madam Pomfrey to heal that wound? It's a long way down to the lake…"

"I'm fine," he retorted shortly. The wound on his thigh could wait. He wanted to get rid of the wand as soon as possible; before he couldn't resist the temptation any longer.

He slowly limped across the Entrance Hall, but halfway down the front steps he already had to conjure a walking stick to support himself. Then it was much easier to continue down to the lake where the white tomb lay peacefully.

Severus had never been there before. He had only seen it from afar, an even then he always withdrew his gaze. He couldn't look at it.

Now it was different. He felt strangely at piece. He suspected it must have been something to do with his strange near-death experience when he met Dumbledore again. He was now inclined to believe that it really happened, even if it was just inside his head. Potter had hinted that he had had a similar experience. Severus had a reason to believe it since they had both been hit by the Killing Curse; surviving it could have similar effects.

The tomb was cracked open from head to foot. They weren't near enough to see the body inside yet. They both paused and approached slowly, respectfully.

The sheet in which Dumbledore's body had been wrapped was open on the front, revealing Dumbledore's motionless hands, his long white beard, and a fraction of his sunken, white face. The body had been well preserved still.

Something cold clenched firmly around Severus' heart when he gazed upon the broken body. He collapsed on top of the marble tomb and stared at the man he had killed. Only now he realized he had never properly mourned his death. There simply wasn't any time.

Potter sat on the tomb, too, facing Severus. They both silently stared inside for a while.

The morning around them was still peaceful and quiet. The surface of the lake rippled slightly in a soft breeze. Birds were chirping somewhere in the distance. The nature was oblivious to the matters of man and ran its course as it did before.

Finally Severus slowly took the Elder Wand out of his pocket and placed it in Dumbledore's stone-cold hands with great care. Then he took out the Ring and carefully stared at it. He could see the symbol of the Deathly Hallows engraved into the black stone. He could see the crack in the middle of it, too.

He wondered… Could he be right in his suspicions about what this ring could do?

This was his last and only chance to find out. He simply had to know.

He pulled the ring on his finger.

"NO! Don't!"

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><p><em>Whoa! Yep, it's far from over…<em>

_So, what do you think will happen next? Surprise me…_


	16. Chapter 16: LILY

_Prepare a handkerchief. If this doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. I cried while I was writing it._

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><p><em><em>LILY

"NO! Don't!"

Potter leaped forward and tried to pull the ring off Severus' finger.

"Why not?" Severus yelled and ducked out of the way, but Potter was quick. He caught his hands, firmly gripped his palms and tried to pry his fingers apart.

"Take it off! Don't do this!"

"You saw her, didn't you?"

"I thought I was going to die!"

Severus jerked his hands side to side to shake Potter off, but the stubborn boy held onto him as if his life depended on it.

"Why can't I see her, too? What gives you the exclusive right?"

Potter stopped, his ribcage moving up and down wildly. "She was my mother!"

"And you don't even remember her! She was my best friend first, well before you came about!" Severus growled hurtfully and with one strong pull he was cradling the ring possessively in his hands again.

Potter glared at him resentfully and suddenly hit him hard in the chest with a fist. They wrestled and fell to the ground next to the tomb in a heap. Severus tried to pin the boy to the ground, but suddenly he realized that Potter was not a boy anymore. He was a strong young man, and though Severus was by no means weak, Potter was able to put up a good fight. Besides, Severus was in no physical condition to fight. He quickly realized he needed his wand. He managed to pull it out and shoot a warning spell at Potter, who pulled out his own wand, but Severus was quicker and he disarmed him within a blink of an eye. Potter stood still and glared at Severus. But even without his wand he boldly launched forward and tried to pull the ring off. The boy was strong and determined. He managed to unclench Severus' fists and pull the ring painfully off his finger.

"No!" Severus barked and firmly closed his palms around the ring, pulling as strong as he could. He managed to win the ring back. He squeezed the prize tightly to his chest and quickly turned around to expose nothing but his back to the boy, giving him little chance to take the ring away from him. He fiddled with the ring in his sweaty palms, wondering how to make it work. He wished with all his might that he could see her again.

Suddenly there she was, standing by the lakeshore. Severus pushed the boy roughly aside and stood up. Potter toppled over to the other side of the tomb in a yelp, but Severus didn't even notice it. He had almost forgotten how to breathe.

He rushed forward and reached out to touch her shoulder. But his shaky hand went straight through and he felt nothing. Though much more than a ghost, she was still nothing but an illusion.

After all those years their green and black eyes finally met again.

"Are you real?" he whispered hoarsely.

"I am real to you," she said softly.

How long he had craved to hear that voice! He gazed upon her. He couldn't get enough of her presence, her eyes, her long hair, her lips... She was beautiful. Oh how much he wished she was still alive! How much he wished he was dead instead of her!

"Why have you called me here?" she asked softly. He voice sounded strange, one might even say there was a tinge of sadness in it.

"I needed to see you once again," he whispered.

"I don't belong here." Her voice was gentle, mellow.

"I know," he said quietly. Lily had never belonged here, with him.

"There is nothing you need from me anymore. You already know it yourself," she said gently.

"I've never told you… You never knew how much…"

He broke off. Why couldn't he say it? This was his one and only chance! He was not a coward, not anymore, so he mustered all the courage he had.

"You are the only one I have ever loved," he whispered, his voice trembling like the rippled surface of the lake. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he said and his lips trembled too. His knees shook, his whole body shuddered and suddenly he found himself kneeling on the ground. No tears came, but his eyes burned him like hot coals.

"You do not need my forgiveness," she said simply.

"I know I don't deserve it," he said bitterly. "It was all my fault! It was because of me, you died because I heard the prophecy!"

Suddenly he felt a presence next to him and a hand descended on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Severus growled warningly and shook the boy's hand off.

Potter's voice was firm when he spoke. "She had a choice because of you. She chose to die instead of me, and it made all the difference."

"I don't need your pity!" Severus lashed out.

"I'm not giving any to you. Please. Put it off. Let her go."

Severus turned around and glared at the boy. He could see how strikingly similar the boy's and the mother's eyes were; he could compare them now.

Those eyes gazed unfocusedly towards the spot where Lily stood. He couldn't understand why – she was right there in front of them, smiling sadly.

"Can't you see her?" he asked the boy.

Potter shook his head. "No. She's a part of you. Invisible to others."

Severus could not speak. He turned and let his eyes feast on her image. He thought that he could be like that and look at her forever, until the boy's voice brought him back into reality.

"People we love never truly abandon us," he whispered softly. "They stay in our hearts, in our memories. We don't need magic to bring them back from the dead and speak with them. We only need to look as far as into our hearts."

There was wisdom in Harry's voice that was beyond his age. When did he become so experienced, so mature? It seemed only yesterday he was a scrawny eleven-year-old boy with messy hair just like his fathers and bright emerald green eyes so much like his mothers, sitting on a stool in front of the whole school while the Sorting Hat unsurprisingly placed him into Gryffindor. Has it really been so long?

"Please. Leave her to rest in peace," the boy requested softly.

Severus shook his head. He couldn't let go just yet. His hands were trembling when he opened his sweaty palm and revealed the Resurrection Stone.

"Don't you want to see her again, too?"

"More than anything. But I _have_ seen her already. And I will see her again when the time comes," Harry answered.

Lily's smile was wide, but it wasn't meant for Severus. Her green eyes searched her son's face longingly, as though she couldn't wait. Harry couldn't see her, or hear her, but it was clear she could see him. It was as though she would never be able to look at him enough. Only a mother could look at her child like that. Severus understood the connection well – he too had a mother once.

The horridness of his actions had never seemed heavier. It was because of him, mother and son had been cut apart because of him.

"I'm sorry- I took that away- from you-" He chocked on his own words. His eyes rested on Harry briefly. He quickly looked down. He could not look at either of them. He was too ashamed.

"You didn't," Lily said firmly. "I had a choice because of you, a choice to be taken away from my son in exchange for his protection. Do you understand?"

She came closer and knelt in front of him. He looked up and lost himself in the greeness of her forgiving eyes.

"I had been taken away from him, but Harry had never been taken away from me. I will be forever grateful to you for enabling me that choice."

Her smile was like a silver lining to his soul. He felt relieved beyond words. He had been forgiven, as undeserving as he was. He was staring at his best friend's smiling face, and he smiled as well.

"I've avenged you. I killed Voldemort." Severus wasn't trying to praise himself. He simply wanted to let her know that in the end he set things right, and that her murderer got what he deserved.

"I know. But you shouldn't find satisfaction in his death; above all you should pity him. What he did to others is nothing compared to what he did to himself. He created his own hell."

Severus gazed at Lily and he didn't even notice when Harry managed to sneak his hand into his, until they were both sqeeezing the Ressurection Stone awkwardly within each other's hands. He didn't have the heart to act repulsed by the boy's touch, so he let him be.

"Hi Mum," the boy breathed out.

Lily smiled at her son. "Hello again."

They were quiet for a while, all three of them, while kneeling close to each other. Severus kept his gaze down, as if he was witnessing something holy, while the mother and the son looked at each other lovingly.

"I will always be with you," Lily said.

"I know," her son whispered. "But I'll never stop missing you."

Severus didn't dare to disturb them in any way. He wished he could let go of the ring and let them have their private moment, but it would have fallen to the ground in that case, cutting Harry's link with his mother, so he tried to move as little as possible. But that proved impossible when Lily addressed him again and he had to look up.

"Thank you, Severus, for protecting Harry in a way I could not," she said sincerely.

"You shouldn't thank me. I did it for you, not because of him," he said roughly.

Lily sighed with sadness while Harry probably rolled his eyes, but Severus didn't care. It was the truth. He would not have lifted a finger if Harry was someone else's son. In fact, if Lily hadn't sacrificed herself for him, he wouldn't have cared whether he lived or died, as long as she'd still been alive. Yes, Severus Snape was a despicable, selfish man.

"You know best why you have chosen your path," said Lily sadly.

"I wish I hadn't." The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"I wish you hadn't, too. You know, I never understood you. You were friends with me, but you hated people like me."

"You were different."

"You mean I was different to you. You had been good to me because I meant something to you. But you never understood that greatness lies in being good to people that mean nothing to you."

Severus swallowed a lump in his throat. Of course Lily was right. He hung his head in shame.

"I understand that now," he said quietly.

"I know you do."

There was more silence. It was not unpleasant and awkward, though. It was comforting, reassuring, and forgiving. It soothed his aching soul.

"It is time," Lily said gently and stood up slowly. "You don't need me anymore."

Harry and Severus stood up, too, their hands still clenched firmly around the ring cutting into their palms with its sharp edges.

"Goodbye. Until we all meet again," said Lily, a beautiful smile blooming on her face.

"Goodbye," both men whispered in unison, and then in a silent agreement they unclenched their palms and let the stone slip through their fingers.

They were staring into the empty distance over the lake, where she had previously stood. For how long neither of them knew.

* * *

><p><em>Now, did that make you cry or not? Let me know! <em>


	17. Chapter 17: STORIES FROM THE PAST

_Here it is; another bonding experience for our two beloved heroes. No, not that kind of bonding… Never fear._

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><p><em><em>STORIES FROM THE PAST

Lily was gone, but Severus could still feel her presence. All this time he had prayed in vain for her to come back, but he could not see all she'd left behind. He closed his eyes and almost smiled. A part of her was still here and life went on.

When he turned his head he could see the boy's eyes were wet with tears. Oh hell! He realized that something warm was trickling down his crooked nose, too. He turned away in shame.

"There's no need to hide it from me," the boy said hoarsely. "I believe we hold no secrets from each other anymore."

"Don't be so sure about that," Severus snapped.

Potter just shrugged tiredly. "Yeah, you're probably right. Since we're on the topic… You know how I won Felix Felicis from Slughorn in my sixth year?"

"You really think I still don't know you had my textbook? After what you did to Draco?"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't know what that spell could do!" the boy protested.

"I can relate to that," Severus said quietly. He, too, hadn't known who the prophecy had been about.

Potter was quiet for a while, his legs shuffling awkwardly. "Well, the book is gone now, so I can't return it to you. I hid it in the Room of Requirement, but it was burned down by Fiendfyre. Crabbe died."

Severus lifted his head alertly.

"We got Draco and Goyle out, but we couldn't save him," Potter murmured. "He was the one who produced the fire in the first place, but he couldn't control it."

"Stupid boy…" Severus murmured. "And those damn Carrows!" he growled. He was angry at himself, too. He should have prevented it somehow. The Dark Arts should have never been taught at Hogwarts – at least not in that manner, and not by that imbecile.

"I don't think we will be able to find his remains. Everything was turned into ashes," Potter added quietly.

"What were you doing in the Room of Requirement anyway?"

"One of the Horcruxes was hidden there. The Diadem of Ravenclaw. That's why we came to Hogwarts in the first place."

They stood still for a while. Cold morning breeze brought the smell of the forest into their nostrils. Potter then sat on the ground tiredly and stared over the lake.

"Funny how things change… I would have never guessed this was how it would all end. You think you know people… but they turn out to be quite the opposite."

Severus became slightly annoyed. The boy's monologue was obviously about him. Severus didn't say anything; he simply pretended to gaze into the distance over the lake and wished the boy would shut up. No such luck. Eventually Severus even had to participate in the conversation, which soon proved to be the longest they've ever had.

"It was always rather difficult to figure you out. In my first year I thought you were after the Philosopher's Stone. I was sure after I saw you sneak out of the castle to the Forbidden Forest to meet Quirrel."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "How exactly do you know about that?"

"I saw you after Quidditch practice. I followed you on my broom and heard a part of the conversation."

"Typical," Severus murmured and shook his head. Only a Potter would do something like that.

"Then in my second year we were sure Draco was the Heir of Slytherin."

This time Severus lifted an eyebrow sceptically. "You must be joking."

"Nope. We were quite sure. We – well, mostly Hermione – brewed Polyjuice Potion to sneak into the Slytherin common room to prove it."

"Oh yes, I well remember Miss Granger having her _furry_ moment. You really thought I wouldn't find out, after stealing that combination of potion ingredients from my cupboard?"

Potter shrugged. "We weren't really that worried about you then. We just… highly disliked you."

"I assure you, the feeling was mutual."

Potter snorted, one of the corners if his mouth twitching in amusement. Then his expression became sombre again. "I never stole anything, though."

"That's an understatement, coming from someone who broke into Gringotts and survived to tell the tale. I guess you had a lot of practice in my stores."

"I told you, I never stole anything from you! Hermione got everything for the Polyjuice Potion, and Dobby stole the Gillyweed and brought it to me."

"I see, so you prefer using your friends to do the dirty work for you."

"No! I didn't even know they would do it! Why do you always assume the worst of me?" the boy exclaimed indignantly.

"You always were very good at looking for trouble, just like your father," Severus murmured.

"Hey, half of the time troubles were looking for me!"

"Oh really? I'm sure Whomping Willow was just asking to get hit by a flying car, growing peacefully in the same spot since before your birth, right?" Severus sputtered petulantly.

The boy snorted. "Growing peacefully? Have you ever even seen that tree in action?"

"How about that time when you went after Black and you deemed it wise to attack me while I was trying to save you?"

"You were being unreasonable then…"

"Of course I was being unreasonable; I thought Black was the traitor!" Snape spat angrily. The whole incident was still highly irritating for him.

"Yeah, well, everyone did. Pettigrew fooled us all well," the boy said, his tone of voice suddenly calm again. "Do you know how he died in the end?"

Severus shook his head, surprised by Potter's coolness. "No," he said quietly.

"I was there. It was at the Malfoy Manor. The silver hand that Voldemort gave him choked him, because he hesitated when I reminded him that I let him live."

"You what?"

"Oh- yeah… You didn't see him then, in the Shrieking Shack, we knocked you out before. Sirius and Remus wanted to kill him right away, but I asked them not to."

"Why on earth would you do something so stupid?" Severus asked incredulously. He would have gladly helped both Black and Lupin kill the filthy rat with bare hands.

"Well, it proved not to be that stupid in the end! I was able to get away from the Malfoy Manor because of it. I don't like killing, and I didn't want anyone to become a murderer," the boy said firmly.

"High moral principles don't get you very far, Potter," Severus spat heatedly. "You think you could just simply shoot an Expeliarmus at Voldemort, he'd miraculously drop dead by his own rebounded curse, then the Elder wand would fly directly into your hands, and you wouldn't have to become a murderer? You saw it was not that simple."

"I wasn't trying to… I realize _killing_ is sometimes… unavoidable. It's just that… I thought it was like that for me," Potter mumbled embarrassedly. "Destined to be killed or become the murderer. _Neither shall live while the other survives._"

The prophecy echoed in Severus' mind. It was how it all started, because he heard that damn prophecy…. But he couldn't dwell on the matter of his responsibility again, because Potter seemed to be in a particularly talkative mood.

"You were right about me back then, you know? I did have everything to do with Sirius' escape. Hermione and I used a Time Turner to save him. But in the end I messed it real good for him…"

It took Severus a few moments to decipher what the boy meant. "I've been told it was Bellatrix who fired the Curse," he said clumsily.

"You know what I'm talking about. If I had spent less time hating you and more time on building my Occlumency shield… If I hadn't been so suspicious of what you were trying to hide from me –"

"I believe if we both had spent less time hating each other, many things could have been different," Severus said firmly.

"Yeah…" Potter murmured. "How about an agreement? From now on, let's try not hating each other too much."

"I don't… hate you. Anymore," Severus said tensely.

"Alright. That's good to know. I don't hate you either," the boy said awkwardly. "In fact, I believe we make quite a good team, don't you think?"

"Oh really, we're a team now? Already trying to take some of the credit for Voldemort's demise?" Severus said only half-seriously, narrowing his eyes.

Potter snorted and shook his head. "You really don't know me, you know?"

"You're not that hard to figure out, Potter. You're the spitting image of your father. Admit it, you just love being the centre of attention," Severus retorted, but his voice didn't carry the usual malice.

The boy sighed and kept his gaze down, biting his lips. When he started speaking again his voice was so quiet Severus had a hard time distinguishing the words.

"You're so unfair. I hate that about you. I'm not like my father. I didn't have parents who would spoil me to death."

Something started to burn Severus deep in his chest. What Potter didn't say was, 'I didn't have parents because of you.'

"I used to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs," the boy said quietly, and at first Severus thought wildly that he must have heard it wrong. He had a nasty feeling, though, that he heard it perfectly well.

"The Dursleys didn't want anyone to know I was living there. They've got loads of pictures all over the house, and I'm not in a single one of them. I don't even know how I looked like when I was a kid…"

Severus didn't know why Harry was telling him all of this. He felt uncomfortable, but the boy kept talking. What he said next made Severus swallow a bitter lump in is throat. He had heard that word from Lily's sister before.

"I was a _freak_ to them. They wanted to beat the magic out of me." Harry picked up a stone and furiously tossed it into the water. "I guess in their own sick way they wanted to protect me."

"After all they did to you, you still think they were trying to protect you?" Severus asked incredulously.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe… That's just what I'd like to think. The truth is, they were probably terrified of magic. They never told me that I was a wizard. I thought my parents died in a car crash. It was Hagrid who told me I was a wizard, and that I was famous for something I didn't even remember."

"You must have been thrilled to discover you're famous in our world."

"We'll see how thrilled you'll be when they start dragging your name all over the newspapers."

"Well, then at least the Dursleys must have been thrilled to have a celebrity living under their roof."

Harry gave him a long meaningful look. "They're _Muggles_, you know. They couldn't care less. They certainly never cared about me being a celebrity. They never even bought me new clothes. I never had a cake for my birthday until Hagrid brought it to me. They gave me old socks for birthday presents-"

"Oh for the love of god, will you stop whining!" Severus cut in harshly. "I'm not your therapist! Life isn't fair, get used to it!" he spat impatiently. All the emotional mess he had been exposed to recently had made him quite edgy. He simply couldn't take it anymore, especially from Potter.

Severus expected a violent reaction, but all he got from Potter was a hard gaze. He wasn't used to that, and it effectively increased his uneasiness.

"I assure you, I understood that life isn't fair well before you tried to beat that concept into my thick skull. I lived with the Dursleys for ten years. Ten _miserable_ years. And then you came along and immediately assumed that I'm an attention seeking spoiled little brat!"

"Just because they didn't buy you fancy presents-"

"How can you be such a hypocrite? Haven't you heard a word I said? Didn't you see it all during Occlumency lessons? They hated having me there! First year after I came back from Hogwarts they locked me in one of the bedrooms the moment I crossed the threshold, and took all my textbooks and my wand away. I was only allowed to go to the toilet. Uncle Vernon even installed metal bars on my window and a trapdoor so they could feed me without having to open the door!"

Severus stared at the boy without blinking, white as a ghost. He could have said that he didn't know, but that would've made him even a bigger hypocrite.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "They wished I never existed. They certainly tried to pretend I wasn't even living in their house. So excuse me if from time to time I do enjoy being the centre of attention for a change," he said bitterly.

Severus stared at the ground for a very long time.

"Sometimes I wished you had never existed, too," he said quietly. His voice carried no malice, it was a simple confession. Perhaps it was even one of his worst apologies. He certainly felt guilty about something…

Harry rolled his eyes. "Really? I could have never guessed it." His voice sounded hurt, and he picked up few more stones and furiously tossed them into the dark lake, rippling its surface with perfect concentric circles. "Look, I know I'm reckless and hot-tempered. But I am NOT spoiled," he added bitterly.

Severus knew the boy was telling the truth. He had known it before; he just chose not to believe it.

"I've always hated you being so unreasonably unfair towards me," the boy mumbled and rubbed his cold fists.

In that moment, looking distractedly at Harry's hands, Severus noticed something he had never noticed before. There was a very strange scar on Potter's left hand.

"What is that?" he asked hoarsely.

"What?"

"On your hand. Where did you get that?"

"Oh. _That_," Harry murmured darkly. "It's a little souvenir I got from my detentions with dear old Dolores Umbridge," he said and without hesitation held out his fist for Severus to see the words written in flesh.

_I must not tell lies._

Severus didn't say a thing. It seemed completely inappropriate to say anything. What could he have said anyway? He knew what it was. He knew how and why Harry got it.

So he remained quiet, but suddenly something changed inside him. The anger, the resentment, the bitterness he had always felt for the boy were simply gone for good, and were replaced by something similar to… understanding perhaps. He couldn't really name it, and he wasn't sure he could or wanted to.

Wordlessly he sat down on a nearby rock and stared at the ground. Without fully knowing why he was doing it, he started relating his own story to the boy.

"My mother told my father that she was a witch only after my first accidental magic. I was seven years old. That was the memory you saw. That was when I first found out I was a wizard."

Harry lifted his head alertly, but he didn't say anything, and Severus continued, though he still didn't know why he was telling this to the boy. All he knew was that it felt extremely liberating, though his mouth had become unusually dry.

"She started teaching me about magic from then on. My father didn't agree with it. They constantly argued about it. He didn't want me to go to Hogwarts. He wanted me to go to a proper school – a Muggle school, and forget about magic. It was all just stupid hocus-pocus to him."

Severus clenched his jaw and his hands balled into fists.

"I _hated_ my father because he hated magic. He used to make fun of my mother. She didn't have a job, you see. Perhaps that's why he didn't believe magic could get you very far. He believed in hard work, not 'foolish wand-waving' and 'silly incantations'. I was determined to prove him wrong. To make him proud. But no matter what I did, how many Outstandings I got, he never seemed to care."

Severus had never told anyone about his relationship with his father, not so openly and directly. He had never felt the need to get it all out of his system before neither. Surprisingly there was no shame and no weakness in it. After all, Harry had already seen all his most private memories.

Perhaps Harry was right; there was nothing to hide anymore. He simply wanted to explain.

"I got involved with the Death Eaters very early. You can imagine, the ideas that magic was something superior, that wizards were above Muggles… It strongly appealed to me. I'm not trying to excuse myself… I just want you to… understand."

Was he perhaps even trying to apologize? Well, it would be the best Potter would ever get from him.

"Thank you for telling me," they boy said sincerely.

Severus nodded curtly. "But if you ever tell anyone what I told you-"

"-you'll rip my filthy tongue out of my mouth. Got it."

Severus gave him a well measured look. Potter rolled his eyes. "I won't tell a living soul. Not even a ghost. Honestly. I do have a sense of self-preservation, thank you very much."

Severus snorted and Harry grinned. The joke was a morbid one – they were both willing to sacrifice their lives just hours ago, and they had both survived.

Yes, life went on, and they were both still on board – together.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you, dear readers; I appreciate your Story Alerts and adding my story to your Favourite Stories, occasionally even honouring me by placing me among your Favourite Authors! <em>

_I especially like reading your REVIEWS, so don't hesitate to leave as many as possible! They always bring a smile to my face! So please, make me smile!_

_Now, tell me, where do we go from here on? Straight to Epilogue? Or on to have another amazing adventure? Impress me… The future is open._


	18. Chapter 18: NO SECRETS

_Here's a little more bonding between our two beloved characters from Harry's POV, and perhaps a glimpse into the future…_

_Merry Christmas!_

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><p>NO SECRETS<p>

Wordlessly Snape sat down on a nearby rock and stared at the ground. Harry did not expect to hear what he heard next. It took him completely by surprise, because he had never before heard Snape talk about himself.

"My mother told my father that she was a witch only after my first accidental magic. I was seven years old. That was the memory you saw. That was when I first found out I was a wizard."

Harry lifted his head alertly, but he didn't dare to say anything, and Snape continued telling his story, much of which was of little surprise to Harry. He had seen the memories. What the man hadn't shown him, Harry had deduced quite accurately by himself.

"I got involved with the Death Eaters very early. You can imagine, the ideas that magic was something superior, that wizards were above Muggles… It strongly appealed to me. I'm not trying to excuse myself… I just want you to… understand."

"Thank you for telling me," Harry said sincerely.

Snape nodded curtly. "But if you ever tell anyone what I told you-"

"-you'll rip my filthy tongue out of my mouth. Got it."

Snape gave him a familiar well measured look. Harry rolled his eyes. "I won't tell a living soul. Not even a ghost. Honestly. I do have a sense of self-preservation, thank you very much."

Snape snorted and Harry grinned. He could not believe they were now joking about it together – only hours before he thought he had to die.

He breathed in deeply. He had survived, and his tired body was constantly reminding him of that fact. He simply could not believe it. So much had happened in just one night. Voldemort was finally gone. His brain still hadn't quite processed that concept, and a small voice inside his head kept reminding him of it.

The future now seemed big and bright and Harry hoped that from now on every day would be simply... normal. He was sick and tired of troubles and worries, of being special, of being the Chosen One.

He was glad to be alive – but so many others weren't. He felt the loss, and he felt the grief, but at the same time he was at peace. He knew now that they'd meet again. He knew they were in a good place.

That which would never be, that was still painful to think about, though. Teddy, Tonk's and Lupin's son, who will never know his parents, won't be able to remember them…. Just like Harry. He promised himself that he'd do his very best so that Teddy would never feel lonely and unloved. He would make sure Teddy will know about his parents, who they were and why they died, something that Harry didn't know until he was eleven years old, and didn't quite understand until recently.

Staring over the lake again, there was one more thing that Harry felt he needed to tell Snape.

"This Christmas was the first time I ever visited my parent's grave. And the house… our house. Where it happened," he said quietly and exhaled calmly. "Now I really have no secrets from you anymore. At least none that I can remember right now…"

He turned to look at Snape, who had remained quiet all this time. "Have you ever visited her grave?"

Snape looked up and slowly shook his head. "Never."

"Why not?"

"It's none of your business," he replied sharply.

"Does it bother you that my father is buried there, too?"

Snape remained quiet again, his expression becoming blank and unreadable.

"Yeah, I guess it does bother you. But I think you should go there."

"Why?"

Harry shrugged. "To say goodbye, to speak to her, to put flowers on her grave; whatever you wish. It's what normally people do. We don't need a magical ring to speak to the dead."

Snape's gaze slipped to the ground between them. The Resurrection Stone still lay there where they had dropped it.

"You're right. The ring should be destroyed. It represents too much of a temptation."

Snape suddenly pointed his wand at the ring and with a loud bang the ground on which it lay exploded.

Harry yelped and breathed out loudly. "Hey, you could have given me a warning," he complained.

The ring was now broken into two parts. They stared at it on the ground between them.

What should they do with it? Suddenly putting it into Dumbledore's tomb didn't seem quite the right thing to do.

"I think the ring doesn't belong in the tomb with Dumbledore," said Harry. "It just doesn't fit, don't you think? Perhaps we should get rid of what's left of it in a different way?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Harry looked over to the Forbidden Forest, immersed in thought.

"The ring belonged to Tom Riddle's maternal family, the Gaunt family. We might have even been distant – very distant cousins, him and me…" Harry said pensively, a chilly shiver running up his spine.

"Most pureblood families are somehow related."

"I know. But we were very much alike, you know… Riddle and me. Lost boys who found home here at Hogwarts…"

"You couldn't be more different from Voldemort. You hate everything about Dark Magic. I am much more like him in that regard," Snape said darkly.

"Unlike you, he loved no one but himself. That alone sets you apart completely," Harry said firmly.

"Don't delude yourself, Potter. I was very selfish, too. I wouldn't have cared what happened to you, and much less to your father, as long as she was spared. Even afterwards I did it all for her, not for you."

"I know. You've made that perfectly clear."

Harry knew Snape had never been a particularly pleasant person, and despite all he had done in Lily's name, he knew his personality had never changed. He was sour, bitter, sarcastic, ruthless, vengeful, unfair, resentful and stubborn, and Harry hated that. But he was also devoted, fiercely loyal, protective, self-sacrificing, incredibly smart, talented and powerful wizard, someone you better had on your side or your days were numbered. That was the part that Harry admired. That was the Half-blood Prince, the brilliant boy who helped Harry all throughout his sixth year (minus the incident with Draco, but that was Harry's fault anyhow) and was best friends with his mother. Of course he knew Snape couldn't care less what Harry thought of him, so he kept his opinion to himself.

He sighed, picked up what was left of the ring and stood up.

"I think the ring should disappear in the Forbidden Forest, never to be found again. Just like Riddle himself. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

Snape got up with a grunt of pain and quickly summoned his walking stick. It was clear that his state was getting worse.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Never better," Snape murmured stiffly.

They walked back to the white tomb to first finish what they came here to do in the first place.

"I still don't understand…" Snape murmured as they stopped and looked inside the cracked tomb. "_Why_ did Dumbledore use the RIng?"

"Didn't you read Rita Skeeter's book?"

"Sure, all this time I had nothing better to do than read gossip about the man I murdered."

"Then why are you asking? You should know it better than me," Harry retorted, playing along with the same humour. Snape narrowed his eyes and Harry quickly decided to tell him what he knew.

"Dumbledore had a sister. It's a long story. Let's just say that there had been an accident, and he felt responsible for her death. I guess he wanted to see her again."

They both stared at Dumbledore's empty shell for a while until Harry spoke again.

"Do you think the wand will be safe here? I mean, if Voldemort managed to get inside, so could others…"

"No one needs to know it's here. We'll tell everyone that it had been destroyed. If I die of natural causes, undefeated… the wand's power will die with me."

"Yeah, I guess that's how it works…"

"I'll put some protection around the tomb, just to be sure," Snape added.

He raised his wand, murmuring and incantation. The white sheets tightened around Dumbledore's body and became solid and shiny like porcelain – a sarcophagus inside a tomb. Snape added several complex repelling charms which Harry never even heard of.

One it was done the tomb was pure white and whole again as if it had never been desecrated by Voldemort. The Elder Wand was back where it truly belonged and Dumbledore could finally rest in peace.

Harry remembered his last encounter with Dumbledore. He was still able to hear each and every word clearly in his memory. He was quite sure that it really happened, but it was mindboggling nevertheless.

"I saw him, you know," Harry whispered, unable to hold the last secret anymore, especially not in front of Snape.

Snape' head shot up as if he instinctively knew what Harry was talking about.

"I saw him, too."

This time Harry's head shot up, though he had suspected it. It made sense. He wasn't the only person in the world to have survived the Killing Curse anymore.

"Were you at the King's Cross, too?"

Snape frowned. "No."

"Oh. Well, I woke up there, lying on my back, with no clothes. When I wanted them they just appeared beside me…"

"I woke up naked in the Great Hall," said Snape.

Harry grimaced. "I sincerely hope it was empty."

A small grin adorned one corner of Snape's mouth for a second or two, but then he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Completely. Under different circumstances that would have been a very nasty nightmare."

Harry let out a small snort. "And it wouldn't be just yours…"

They were awkwardly silent for a while, and then Harry spoke again. "It was… all white around me. Was it like that for you, too?"

"Yes. Like everything was made of white mist. At first I couldn't tell where I was."

"Yeah. Then it started to look like the King's Cross to me. Only much cleaner. Dumbledore said that part was-"

"-our party," Snape finished the sentence quietly. They stared at each other knowingly.

"Do you think it was… real?"

"I don't know. It could all be happening just inside our heads."

"Dumbledore said that doesn't make it any less real."

"No, I suppose not. Memories are very much real, thought they are only in our heads."

"Yeah. I wish I could remember my parents," Harry said without thinking. "Sorry," he said and glanced at Snape. "It's just that… The only memory I've got is of when they died. And I'm not even sure the memory is mine…"

"What do you mean?" Snape asked sharply, a deep crease appearing between his brows.

"I think at least part of the memory – if it even is a memory – is Voldemort's."

Snape's face revealed horrified disbelief. "Are you telling me you saw when – when he – "

"Yes," Harry confirmed quietly. "I saw how he killed my father first. He didn't even have a wand with him to properly defend himself. They were playing with me carelessly. They both blindly trusted that coward Pettigrew to guard their secret. My mother ran upstairs with me and locked herself in the bedroom. It was futile of course. He told her to step aside so he would be able to kill me. She refused. After… after the second flash of light the memory is gone."

Snape closed his eyes and dangerously swayed on his shaky legs. Harry stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders to stabilize him.

"I'm fine," he growled and pushed Harry away roughly. "I want to see that memory."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Harry said warily, silently cursing himself for telling Snape about it in the first place. Why did he feel the need to pour his whole soul to the man? He felt very relaxed about sharing it all, but there were things he should have kept to himself.

"You think I won't be able to handle it?" Snape spat. "I've seen people die in a much more gruesome way."

"Why do you want to see it? I'm barely able to handle it myself! It is the memory that resurfaces each time when Dementors are around me. That was why I always fainted in their presence, and that was why I asked Remus to teach me the Patronus Charm. I didn't want to listen to my parents screaming and him laughing about it…"

"I want to see it," Snape growled determinedly.

"Why? What good would it do?" Harry tried to object.

"Potter, you will show it to me or I'll have a look at it myself!" Snape demanded stubbornly.

Harry couldn't understand why Snape would want to see it all. He sighed in frustration. "Alright, since I know I can't stop you, I'll show it to you. If you agree to show me more memories of her," he said firmly, and it wasn't just because he wanted to know more about his mother. It also seemed a good way to ensure Snape wouldn't dwell too much on how she died, but on how she lived.

Snape glared at him, but then his expression softened. "Fine, since I know you won't stop pestering me about it…" he muttered through clenched teeth.

"You don't want to see it right now, do you? I'm too exhausted."

"It can wait," Snape grumbled. "Now let's get rid of that ring once and for all. I need to rest, too."

Harry opened his palm and revealed the ring with the Resurrection Stone split in two almost identical pieces. Glancing at Snape's injured leg he suggested he would carry it into the Forbidden Forest by himself and bury it.

"Let's just throw it away and be done with it," Snape said impatiently. "I can fly up and throw it deep into the forest where no one would find it. Not that it matters much, it's destroyed anyway."

Snape grabbed the two pieces and flew over the treetops, his dark silhouette outlined against the clear morning sky. Harry felt slightly envious about the man's skill and wondered if there was a way to convince Snape to teach him how to fly without a broom. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to learn, since it was Voldemort who invented the spell. He wondered how Snape had learned it and made a mental note to ask him later when he'd be in a more agreeable mood.

When Snape was deep enough over the forest he threw the ring as far away as possible. Without a backward glance he flew back to where Harry was waiting for him.

Snape and Harry slowly trudged back to the castle without saying a word to each other. They were both exhausted. When they reached the stairs Snape was barely able to walk. He collapsed on the first step and stretched his legs, gasping for breath.

"I can't go on," he murmured and tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll get help. Madam Pomfrey should have a look at that wound," said Harry and hurried up the steps.

Snape was soon put in the Infirmary with other injured combatants after Madam Pomfrey raised the roof because of the state he was in. Healers have arrived from St Mungo's while Harry and Snape were away and soon they were all gathered around Snape, forcing him to lie back and pulling the curtains around him.

"Will he be alright?" Harry asked Madam Pomfrey worriedly as she emerged from behind the screens.

"Yes, he'll be fine. He just needs to rest. You need to rest, too, so I suggest you find yourself a nice comfy bed and get some sleep."

"But, what about –"

"There is nothing you can do right now except wait. And you can do that asleep. Your help and support will be needed later, so be sure to be well rested."

Madam Pomfrey was right. Harry felt exhausted and so he dragged himself to the Gryffindor Tower. He found Ron and Hermione already sleeping there, and he tiptoed to his old bed so he wouldn't wake them up. He removed his shoes, his wand and his glasses and finally collapsed in bed. He sighed contently and closed his tired eyes.

For the first time since he found out about Voldemort he didn't have to worry about waking up with his scar hurting. Thanks to Snape Voldemort was gone for good.

* * *

><p><em>Everything has been taken care of. Now they must move on. Is this the end of the story or is it just the beginning of something new? Should I continue, write a sequel, or just an epilogue? The epilogue is already written, and the next chapter is almost finished… I just can't decide on what happens in-between... <em>

_I'd love to hear your opinion, so don't be afraid to leave a review, and that goes for each chapter. I love hearing what parts you particularly liked or if you felt other parts were lacking something. Constructive criticism is always very welcome._


	19. Chapter 19: YEARS LATER

_Dear readers,_

_I've decided to finish this story for now. I've written a couple of pages when Harry and Snape return to the castle and what happens from then on, but I felt like it wasn't really going anywhere. _

_Following this chapter there will only be a short epilogue. However, there will be a sequel, exploring the time in-between – just not right now. This time I wish to finish it before I start posting it, so you will have to wait._

_Hopefully you'll enjoy this last chapter. _

_Thank you for joining me on this adventure!_

_WG_

* * *

><p>YEARS LATER<p>

"Please, tell me one more time about the Dementors," Lily requested.

"You heard about them numerous times."

"One more time, pleeease!" she added pleadingly. "Tell me about when dad made thousands of them go away with a single spell!"

"Oh, you like that one, don't you?"

"Yes! Tell me again, please!" she said, her big green eyes staring hopefully at the dark man.

"Aright, if you'll be good and sit here completely still," said Severus and motioned to the couch. The girl climbed on and sat down, her little legs barely hanging over the edge. Severus sat down next to her as she looked up to him expectantly.

"Well, I don't remember much of it, but I'm pretty sure there were barely one hundred Dementors there to start with. Your father was in danger, and I wanted to help him, but he and his friends all attacked me and knocked me out before I could do anything."

"Dad said that was because you were being… _irreasonable_."

"Yes, I was very much _un_reasonable then, I'm afraid. I even said your dad was a very powerful wizard. Imagine that! Of course, I didn't know _he_ was the one who had made all those Dementors go away; otherwise I would have never claimed something so outrageous."

"My dad _is_ a very powerful wizard!" Lily objected and frowned. For some reason Severus found it highly amusing.

"Yes, well, _now_ he is," he chuckled. "That's because I taught him everything I know."

"You didn't! James told me there are many Professors at _Hogwaltz_! You are not the only one!"

"No, but I'm the most important one."

"Yeah, you're the _Head-professor_!"

"I'm the _Headmaster_."

"Head-master… Is that because you can master your head? Like when you can make yourself invisible to Dementors?"

"No, I'm afraid it has nothing to do with it."

"What do I do if the Dementors come after me?"

"They would never come after you," he said reassuringly. "I'd never let them."

"But what if they come when you're not here? I don't know how to make myself invisible like you!" she exclaimed, looking genuinely worried.

"There are other ways to protect yourself from Dementors. When you get a wand, your father can teach you the Patronus Charm. He's rather good at it."

"You can teach me now! Show me!"

"Again?"

"Yes pleeease!" she said and climbed off the couch, jumping up and down in front of him excitedly. Severus sighed. He could never say no to those big green eyes.

A silver doe burst out of his wand and pranced around the child while she giggled and reached to touch the misty silvery creature.

"What is your happy memory?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the silver doe.

"I've told you numerous times before."

"Tell me again, pleeease!"

Severus sighed, but he told her nevertheless, to humour the child. "It used to be your grandmother, but now I have much more happy memories to choose from. One of them is _you_. It won't last for long, though, if you keep pestering me," he warned the little girl, trying to scowl strictly.

Lily stopped to prance around after the doe and stared at Severus, biting her rosy lips. She was clearly struggling to say something.

"You and grandma were best friends, right?"

"Yes, we were."

"Do you miss her?"

Severus looked at the little girl, staring at him with her bright green eyes.

"Yes. I'll never stop missing her," he said quietly.

Slowly Lily approached him and slipped her little hand in his. "Don't be sad. I can be your friend instead. I'm Lily, too. You can pretend I'm her, I won't mind…"

"You silly child…" Severus murmured kneeled beside the redhead girl. He didn't know where all this was coming from, but he knew he had to reassure her. "I like you just the way you are. You don't need to pretend to be her. You're her granddaughter and I'm your godfather."

"But… Then I won't be your best friend…"

"Don't be silly. Why would a little girl like you want to be best friends with a grumpy old man like me?"

Lily giggled. "You can be sooo grumpy sometimes!" Then her little face sobered, her little hands tried to hug the broad shoulders, and she whispered, "But I like you just the way you are, too. And I really like your stories…"

"It is still a mystery to me why she isn't terrified of you like James and Al are," Harry said, making Severus turn his head around. He was standing at the threshold with a smile to his face.

"Daddy!" the little girl exclaimed and ran to her father.

"That's because she's much braver than those two little imps," Severus chuckled and watched little Lily throw her tiny hands round her father's neck. "She'll be in Gryffindor for sure."

"Dinner's ready," Ginny suddenly called from the kitchen.

Lily quickly disentangled herself from her father and ran back to Severus, grabbing his hand. He let himself being pulled into the dining room. Two black-haired boys joined the table shortly, glancing at Severus cautiously.

"Good evening, Sir," they both mumbled in unison, before they took their seat.

"Good evening," Severus retorted, before he was distracted by Lily pulling at his sleeve.

"What is it?"

"Can I sit with you?"

Severus raised one of his eyebrows. Lily's eyes grew big. "Please, Sir?" she added, trying to play the polite tune with him, but this time Severus would not give in.

"Do I look like a chair to you?"

Lily giggled. "No…"

"You're a big girl now, you have your own chair right here," he told her sternly and without further ado she was seated beside him, with her mother on the other side.

Dinner was finished in relative silence, as usual. Potter's children were surprisingly well-behaved, but that could have been simply because Severus' presence was still a bit terrifying to them. Except for Lily; she had never been afraid of him. Truth be told, he was probably more afraid of her than she was of him. Ever since she was a baby, when Ginny unexpectedly pushed the little creature in his arms, she never cried in his presence. _She_ didn't cry then – but _he_ did.

During the first year when he started visiting the Potters regularly to see his goddaughter, the two older boys were always rendered to tears the minute they lay their eyes on him. They only warmed up to him enough when he got them presents for Christmas and threatened them they'll never receive anything from him again if they keep crying around him. Since then Severus suspected they must have been simply too terrified to cry in front of him ever again, and for some odd reason that amused him greatly.

After dinner the children were soon put to bed. Severus and Harry found themselves alone in the sitting room.

"How have you been lately?" Harry asked him.

"The usual," Severus retorted stiffly.

"Any more of those funny letters?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I know there will always be someone who won't agree about how you run the school, but if anything sounds too serious, you must immediately report it to us."

"I'm sure you have better things to do than read my hate mail."

"Actually, I don't. It's my job. You worry about our children's safety and let me worry about yours."

"You know that their safety is my first priority."

"Of course. And that is why _your_ safety is _my_ priority."

Severus sighed in annoyance. "I'll report if anything sounds too serious, but I don't think anonymous writers pose any real threats. They seem reluctant to face me in real life."

"Yes, for some odd reason people seem terrified of you. Why do you reckon that is?"

"Oh, I wish they were _all_ terrified of me. That way they'd at least leave me at peace."

"Don't tell me you're still receiving _fan mail_," Harry said incredulously.

"Every. Single. Day. Must be something to do with Rita Skeeter's article in Witch Weekly listing me as Desirable No. 1. Minerva found it highly amusing, and she just had to recite it to me, much to my dismay. Suppose you couldn't arrest that Skeeter woman for spreading such gossip, could you?"

"I thought you liked the attention. If _I_ was considered to be the most desired bachelor in the Wizarding world-"

"Luckily you're not a bachelor any more, are you?" Ginny said, standing by the doors, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Yes, lucky me," said Harry and grinned.

"Dinner was very enjoyable, as always," said Severus quickly to divert the attention.

"Thank you. Would you care for a drink before you leave?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't stay much longer. I have some paperwork to finish for tomorrow. I'll come by some other time next week if you'll have me."

"Of course. Lily will be especially thrilled if you could stay long enough to tell her a story or two."

"It would be my pleasure."

Ginny brought him his travelling cloak and they politely exchanged goodbyes. Severus walked down the gravel path and pushed open the front gates. He turned around as he closed them, just like every time he came for a visit – which was as often as he could.

He gazed at the house where it all ended – or was it where it all started? The same house where Tom Riddle murdered Lily so many years ago was now full of life again; life that would not be there had Severus not begged Voldemort to spare her life; life that would not have been able to flourish had Lily not sacrificed herself.

Severus understood Lily's sacrifice, and he was grateful he was able to see it had not been in vain. But until he first held little Lily in his arms, he could never really relate to it. It was that what made him cry: as he cradled the tiny baby in his clumsy hands, he once again felt he would have done anything _for Lily_.

* * *

><p><em>THE END<em>

_Oh, pardon, let me correct myself._

_THE BEGINNING_


	20. EPILOGUE

_For Lily_

From a lonely love sprouted a promise. From that promise grew courage and became strong and sturdy. With its thorns it defended its delicate flowers and protected them, until they were ready to produce fruit and leave its protector, prepared to fend for themselves. And life went on.

Severus Tobias Snape made sure he died of natural causes. There was nothing terrible or special about his death, though his life had been both.

His tomb lies by the lake, next to the white tomb of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. It is made of heavy black granite, enveloping him like his black robes used to when he was still alive.

The two headmasters rest side by side as equals and opposites at the same time; like day and night, reminding everyone that despite their differences, the day can still be dark and even the night can be bright sometimes.

For years a single black tulip was regularly brought to rest on top of the black tomb. From it bloomed a tradition, and his grave became a place where promises were made to last. It was said that Severus Snape would rise from the grave and curse anyone who would dare break a promise made over his last resting place. No one ever dared to try, and so Severus Snape could rest in peace.

There is one single inscription on the black tomb, written in silver letters.

_Always__._


	21. UPDATE

Dear readers,

I'm happy to inform you that the story 'For Lily' has been reposted after spending some time with my beta reader Emily. I have added chapter titles and made some minor corrections to the story.

I am also pleased to announce that the sequel 'Black Tulips' is slowly progressing. I hope I'll be able to finish it till summer.

Thank you for reading my work.

Sincerely,

WG


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